Mental patient will not come to isles after all

A New York mental health patient whose plan to move to Hawaii sparked a major controversy here has changed his mind.

His decision resolves a confusing situation that distressed mental health officials both in Hawaii and New York.

Officials here were upset by initial information that Federation Employment Guidance Service, a large private health and human services organization, was paying for the man's trip and asking a local agency to pick him up and take him to the Institute for Human Services, a homeless shelter.

But Al Miller, chief executive of FEGS, said the man is a voluntary patient who has a right to go wherever he wants and who had saved money to buy a ticket to Hawaii, where he once lived.

FEGS contacted the Hawaii Adult Mental Health Division yesterday and said officials had spent a lot of time talking to the patient about his options, said state Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

"He decided to rethink his plans, so at this time he will not be coming to Hawaii," she said, adding that the Health Department is contacting other agencies to let them know and cancel appointments made for him.

Miller told the Star-Bulletin Tuesday that FEGS tried to persuade the man to remain in treatment there, but he was determined to leave, so caseworkers there asked the Diamond Head Mental Health Center for references to services.

The man initially was to arrive here Monday, and FEGS had asked United Self-Help to pick him up and take him to IHS. Miller said FEGS did not know it was a homeless shelter.

The Adult Mental Health Division planned to send someone to the airport to assess the man's needs rather than wait until Dec. 26 when he had an appointment at the Diamond Head center.

Bud Bowles, United Self-Help executive director, said he is glad the man decided to remain in New York. "He's assured of treatment there instead of taking a chance and coming here."

Bowles said he is working with many homeless people who say they have waited six months to two years for housing.

Dr. Thomas Hester, who heads the Adult Mental Health Division, said the New York-Hawaii tangle over the patient "just highlights some of the difficulties around continuity of care for people with mental illness.

"The issue is supporting the rights of individuals with mental illness to make decisions about where they live but at the same time not to support -- and I'm not saying it applies in this case -- agencies dumping people out of their system and giving them transportation.

"It looks as though in this case, when more information was available, that it wasn't just a simple story," Hester added.

"You have a small state like Hawaii with limited resources, and people are sensitive to the issue," he said, "although I must say I know people contributing in a wonderful way to Hawaii who happened to travel here with very few resources and got help. Now they're highly valued productive and contributing citizens of Hawaii."

He said a significant factor in the New York case is that the man does not appear to have any family or social supports in Hawaii.

Kalifornia and New York States have found a new way to aid the homeless.

The asses are sending them to Hawaii to crap and piss on the beaches of Waikiki and anywhere else they can find to breath, eat, and crap.

It may have worked in the 60s and 70s, but Hawaii is sick of your degenerates.

It is becoming more obvious that all the work that Mayor Rudolph "Rudy" W. Giuliani did to make that city and state worthwhile is being degraded by a sick man with more money than he can handle.

Giuliani has/had absolutely nothing to do with mental health policies as Mayor of NY. This is a function of state government in New York, so your beef is with Albany not New York City. Your negative comments about him are unjustified and bizarre.

On the other hand New York State definitely has a policy of shipping its chronic mentally ill to nursing homes out of state, apparently to New Jersey and Massachusetts facilities. While highly profitable to these nursing homes, this policy deserves careful review (which is underway).

Again, my post has been misread, per your post:

Your negative comments about him are unjustified and bizarre.

I have made, and will not make any comments about Rudy that are denigrative to the man or his leadership.

A compleat misreading of my comments, for I have called the current half-assed luddite mayor, the Bloombey character, the most recent criminal in this latest chapter of New York's history, not Rudy, who did more to clean up NY more than anyone in the last century.

I wish more of you would read the posts before jumping to conclusions that have no basis is reality.

I have done so in the past and have learned from that act of ignorance...

Some guy called Rick Hamada the other day who had worked in the VA system here (Hawaii). He says it's not uncommon to work the other way as well, particularly if the individual has family on the mainland - they'll encourage them to take a one-way ticket to, say, California.

BTW, I guess the latest news is the guy decided not to come after all, thank goodness.

Wish we could get rid of all of 'em in A'ala park by just giving them a one-way ticket to San Francisco.

Take it easy on Rudy!!

I am Brooklyn and here in NYC we have actually caught people from Phillie dropping off bums at the Port Authority!!

Let's also get a reality going here,...

people who want to get so loaded they wake up in their own filth, are not homeless...

they are bums...

and they are there by choice...

the homeless I worry about are the families, who thru no fault of their own are on the street!!

Jeez, too much toikey, whiskey, beer or what?

Read this again, look at the original, notice the similarities, and go to the mirror and look at yourself after reading this again.
It is becoming more obvious that all the work that Mayor Rudolph "Rudy" W. Giuliani did to make that city and state worthwhile is being degraded by a sick man with more money than he can handle.

Dammit people, read the entirety of a post before making a conclusion, so please read the original again.

One last comment.BB At least you have the decency and manners to own up to a small faux, many others who have attacked me continue to ride the horse of arrogance.

Thank you, sir...

I was Baptised as a Catholic, and that means I can't lie without penalty...

I made a mistake and I admitted it...

you'ld be surprised, once you tell the truth...

it runs like a river!!

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