public comment small handheld devices may be used only
while seated and the user must refrain from interfering
with the view or hearing of other individuals individuals
or groups failing to adhere to these rules will be asked to
see such disruptive conduct and failure to comply will
result in there being subject to removal from the meeting
by the sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms
sets forth the following rules of conduct to be followed
during the public.
Period and the duration of all committee and City Council
meetings profane vulgar threatening abusive or disruptive
language is not permitted demeaning discriminatory or
harassing behavior and speech directed towards others is
not permitted disruptive behavior, including disruptive or
disrespectful contacting others presentations is not
permitted banners flyers or signage are not permitted
backpacks large bags and sharp objects are not permitted
clear backs not tinted in color that do not exceed 12 by 12
by 6 in will be permitted in our subject to search health
food and beverages including in metal canisters are not
permitted cell phones must be placed on silent prior to
entering the meeting room individuals must remain seated
public comments speakers are permitted to stand only when
providing public comment small handheld devices may be used
only while seated and the user must refrain from
interfering with the view or hearing of
Other individuals individuals or groups failing to adhere to
these rules will be asked to see such disruptive conduct
and failure to comply will result in there being subject to
removal from the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms.
City of Chicago city council rules of conduct for public
meetings 2023 to 2027 pursuant to the Chicago city council
Rules of Order and procedure rule 49. The sergeant-at-arms
sets forth the following rules of conduct to be followed
during the public comment period and the duration of all
committee and City Council meetings profane vulgar
threatening abusive or disruptive language is not permitted
demeaning discriminatory or harassing behavior and speech
directed towards others is not permitted disruptive
behavior, including disruptive or disrespectful conducting
others presentations is not permitted banners Liars or
signage are not permitted backpacks large bags and sharp
objects are not permitted clear bags not tinted in color
that do not exceed 12 by 12 by 6 in will be permitted in
our subject to search all food and beverages including in
metal canisters are not permitted.
Cell phones must be placed on silent prior to entering the
meeting room individuals must remain seated public comment
speakers are permitted to stand only when providing public
comment small handheld devices May.
from interfering with the view or hearing of other
individuals individuals or groups failing to adhere to
these rules will be asked to see such disruptive conduct
and failure to comply will result in there being subject to
removal from the meeting by the sergeant-at-arms.
Good morning.
Everybody take your seats.
I'm chairperson. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez it is.
12:37 on July 22nd of 2024 and this meeting of the Chicago
City council's committee on health and human relations will
now come to order.
today we will be hearing a presentation regarding the
mental health system expansion report issued to the
committee on health and human relations on May 31st of 2024
providing the recommendations of the image working group.
Before we begin I will call the role to establish Quorum
Alderman Robinson.
Not present alderman. Jansy
No present Vice chair Ramirez.
Other Woman Gutierrez
Alderman Lopez
alderwoman Coleman
Alderman sexual Lopez
Other Woman Fuentes
Other Woman Cruise
not present Alderman Ramirez Rosa
Alderman Lawson
alderwoman, may I help and worth?
other women hadn't
Other Woman hadn't
And chairwoman Rodriguez Sanchez is here. We have 7 members
present. We have a quorum. Um,
we have a request for remote participation citing rule 59
from Alderman Robinson and Other Woman Gutierrez. Can I get
a motion to approve the motion the rumble participation of
these 2 Alders?
uh Vice chair, uh Ramirez, uh, so moves, um, all those in
favor of allowing remote participation for these 2 Elders
signify by saying I
In the opinion of the chair the eyes have it these 2 others
will be added to the Roll Call.
We'll begin our meeting with time for public comment the
period is limited to 30 minutes and each speaker is limited
to 3 minutes. Um
We will call the speakers in random order and we are going
to start with William biyani.
Hello.
I'm Bill Bianca. I'm with the Illinois Single Payer
Coalition and thank you all for providing this opportunity
to express our ideas about the work you're doing and about
our resolution congratulations to the committee and to the
chairwoman, uh Sanchez for developing a comprehensive plan
for expanding and making accessible Mental Health Services
to all Chicago the closing of the mental health clinics 10
years ago or so was definitely a step backward your work
today will go a long way to repairing the damage and making
Chicago a model for how local governments can fill the gaps
in inequities in our profit-driven Healthcare System
illness single-payer is a 501c organization dedicated to
working for guaranteed National Medicare for all or
single-payer. We launched a campaign that aims to get city
councils around Illinois to pass a resolution in support of
Medicare for all when Chicago adopts it we'll be
Joining about 60 other cities and counties that have done so
so including cities like Cincinnati, Ohio, uh, Baltimore,
Maryland and Austin, Texas.
Chicago should be on that list, don't you think?
Uh, but what does this have to do with your work to hear
today?
Uh, the mental health system expansion plan provides badly
needed services, but it's still must operate in our unfair
needlessly complicated and expensive us healthcare system
in this system addressing Healthcare access issues
piecemeal while we have to do that right now is very costly
in terms of time and money the plan identifies several
significant challenges including limited funding and the
Public's lack of awareness about available services and how
to access them Medicare for all can help overcome both
these challenges.
The Medicare for all build that is currently in Congress
today covers all medically necessary care including mental
health and substance abuse.
So that means all upfront costs such as premium deductibles
co-pays will be eliminated. Once Medicare for all is law
awareness of barrier-free access to health care including
mental health will spread rapidly in the population
currently about 100 Congressional reps. All Democrats have
signed on to the bill, but we still need more that's why
ispc is participating in this national campaign to get
Chicago to support a resolution in favour of Medicare for
all that work will help build the Grassroots support that
we need uh to in Congress to get more to sign on to the
bill. So we ask all members of this committee to support
this resolution. I believe several of you already have uh,
and we have copies to pass out if you'd like 1 a print
copy, but we'll also send a copy uh of the current
resolution to you by email. So thank you and continue your
good work and restoring and improving Mental Health
Services in Chicago.
Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Zoe Lee.
I'm uh Pro, uh mental health that mental health definitely
needs to be in um, our community, especially black
communities that needs to be focused on first, but I want
to speak about the attorney general's uh role the Attorney
General is the state's Chief legal officer and is
responsible for protecting the public interest of the state
and its
People the job of the Attorney General is to Advocate on
behalf of all of the people of Illinois legislate with
members of the general assembly for new laws litigate to
ensure state laws are followed and respected the Attorney
General provides services that cover a broad range of
issues reached every corner of Illinois.
Kwami Raul does none of that. Um, he's 1 of the worst
attorney generals just like Kamala Harris was for the State
of California, and that's the issue with
government
that's a very very very important role the Attorney
General's role and if you can't
Do what you're supposed to do in the state.
You're not going to be able to do it for the United States
of America.
So when people think that a lot of black people are going
to vote red because of 1,200 know it's more it's it's it's
other reasons why I know for me I have been down coming
down here for a year fighting the city of Chicago for
illegal eminent domain. Okay, I can't get any press. I
can't get any help.
That's number 1 number 2 is I finally have a lawyer.
That is that just filed their appearance on my case. And
when we win because we are going to win it's going to be a
landmark case. I'll be able to help the other black seniors
and other black people that you have got get that you guys
have pushed to the side.
the re the issue right now when it comes to politics is it
needs to be a Purge on both sides because y'all really are
y'all really don't care. There's no public servants.
There's no Public Service No, 1 does not care. I was down
in South um Southshore last, uh this weekend see a black
man gets get pulled over. I look at the police officers 3
Latinos. Why are they on SE in South Jeffery pulling over
this black man? Where why we need to police our own
communities. We need our we need em, black social workers
for our own mental health. We don't need for our own mental
health clinics. Yeah rollers roles and it's cool. But black
people. We need our Mental Health Resources, and we need
our money and these people here that's this is not these
aren't public servants y'all this. This is a check for
y'all and that's the problem.
And that's and it's and it's going to stop. So my thing is I
I really really really really hope y'all do the right thing
because I'm trying to tell you this state is flipping red
on principal on principle because y'all
thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Mr. Sims.
referrals
um
Good afternoon committee.
Human rights. Um you write Zoe
Our mental health. My mental health is declining for the
fact that I've been down here. Now 7 months to in a couple
days will be my birthday. I'll be 44.
But I've been down here 7 months now trying to express to
you all about the circumstances situation. I'm dealing with
in the city.
So my mental health is declining try to talk to the law man
next to you sitting there like a duck.
Oh Lord, Jesus forgive me. Um
yeah, so
My mother is dead. Now. I'm still in court. The court
number is 21 Divi 110001. I was arrested January 21st 2021.
Taking out of my mother's house and and y'all.
What court you all handle city? Um senior citizens Health.
My mother was helpless couldn't move our arms to nothing. I
was taking out of our home. No due process. No NADA. That's
1 thing. You all hand. You handle also fair housing. My HMI
number is 65100. What what is it wait and make sure fair
housing you have 6510 661
to no avail. I was kicked out of the um, what was it?
sheltered the dilapidated place that you all sent us to
Crap, um also work force. That's another area that y'all
cover.
I had a case with the EEOC for discrimination which they
claimed that they found none. I find that to be a lie. That
number is 44020222 0907 all of these areas of human rights
violations, but I came to last week and gave you all this
information No 1 came out the words to say. Hey Mr. Sims.
Let us try to help you because like I said, I conclude that
we have no human rights here in this city black Americans.
None, that's why they closed down all of those mental
health, um clinics what 10 years ago Monty Fury all so now
you see all of these people in the streets.
Haggard crazy out their minds
seeking health care and now these little organizations they
come behind them just to get money another Grant grab.
Another way to get some opportunity off black bodies.
And this is the wrestle because I'm here right now law man.
Look over here. Y'all kill me the way y'all virtual eyes
when y'all d****** us around look over here Focus because
I've been trying to call on you for the aid and you've been
hearing us, but this is your department your power that you
have but you don't want to utilize that power to Aid us
this nation right black Americans and it's evident. It's
purely evident.
By the countless days that we've been down here speaking to
you all Zoe, Miss Jackson Mr. Blake Moore Mr. Come on Bae.
Come on.
So it's evident that we are the invisible people or tend to
be the invisible people in this city, Chicago.
Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Alan non.
oski
I'm sorry, I probably didn't say that. Can you say your
last name? Yeah, that's okay. It's nowakowski.
Thank you. Go ahead. My name is Al nowakowski, and I'm a
member of Illinois single-payer Coalition as well as Bill
and have been for over 15 years. I'm here to Echo some of
Bill Point Bill's points to advocate for members of the
council to consider and pass our resolution supporting
improved expanded Medicare for all.
Medicare for all activated me 20 years ago both as a
Healthcare Advocate and politically as when I learned of
class tiered Access to Health Care it offended every fiber
of my being
but first I'm here to applaud your work and I look forward
to seeing the draft report. I remember when the clinics
were closed. It was quite a gut punch. It felt vindictive
and Petty and only later did I realize it was probably just
business just opening a new market to privatize and
essential public service.
but I've been to the mountain top as has Bill and
Healthcare financing is not an area that Private Industry
can do better and we do have the receipts but really all
you really need to see is Blue Cross Blue Shield, Illinois
full page glossy ads in Chicago at magazine every month to
understand where potential treatment dollars are spent.
And knowing that these actions you will take will be for
the public good and not for quarterly profit statements is
very encouraging.
And especially given the long and tragic history of
chronically underserved communities in our city with
outcomes based on gender race and class with disparities so
vast so huge. They baffled the mind they wound the soul and
begged to be addressed.
Through no fault of my own in the last 10 years. I've
acquired a tremendous amount of knowledge on complex and
developmental trauma complex PTSD adverse childhood
experiences epigenetics and generational trauma and the
impact stored trauma has on an individual both
physiologically and socially and the unmitigated hell, it
reeks on individuals and communities treatment not trauma
is real and a reflection of how far the understanding of
Developmental trauma has come just in the last 20 years
having mental health professionals respond to 911 distress
calls and removing the burden from the Chicago Police to be
mental health practitioners something for which they have
absolutely no training and 2 frequently ends with tragic
results serve everybody involved.
A woman I greatly admire Kate to from Kentucky and for
single-payer describe Medicare for all as a bold and brave
solution. I would humbly ask you to embrace those words as
you move forward along with perhaps compassion and empathy.
And if you haven't already you'll be hearing from Illinois
single-payer Coalition. Thank you.
Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is George,
Blakemore?
Health is well mental health and physical health.
I was here at protested.
When they closed down those Mental Health Centers, but now
I'm old and I'm more enlightened. We really need all these
white side cats.
and S College
experimenting with black people saying they they have a
mental problem. If we have a mental health problem you
white folks gave to us.
When you enslaved us and brought us over here.
If you change our whole greatness you made us a in on the
plantation, but I'm advocating for black, uh clinician
people to to to to to heal us.
because I'm afraid you might feel loved because you have a
history of
Capture enslavement and with that program methodone and
whatever and they don't help it's not effective.
It's not effective. I'm almost scared to go to the doctor
the white doctor if they don't like me. Well, how in the
hell are they gonna like me sick?
Is a culture of corruption here. It's racist here and it's
a democratic system here.
A democratic machine not a democratic sits all Democrats
and they got all these black faith in high places selling
black people out. This is something else and I said I'm
gonna wear another hat I said, no you wear that Trump hat.
I say you wear I say because it's time to Enlighten and
engage and inform our people. How could they bring our
illegal in here that gave me a mental problem giving them
hundreds of millions of dollars. They didn't give us that
that help trying to drive us crazy and no shame. They just
and some of our black elected official word for somebody.
What amount black people coming in the quarter system is no
black.
No, black come coming in. It's terrible here and you still
my miniature too. It seemed like you have them but they can
do what they want to do. I haven't spoke 3 minutes like
this man here. Uh, uh, it says 3 minutes but no no no, no,
no, no. No, you got to look beyond that clock.
I know these people here. These are evil people these
Democrats racist people corrupt people. This system is
broken here the most racist and corrupt city in America is
right here. Why do you say that because of the mouth of
elected officials have been indicted, you know, it's
corruption here. The black ones are no good the white
Thank you for your comments, Mr. Blakemore.
Our next speaker is Michael Young.
You know when I was coming up in school.
He used to have the P the word.
people call people retarded
and people are straightening up because uh
They feel the shame of that word or whatever.
Because it's a retardation even here in City Hall.
because
some people no matter if they going to get a backline.
Whether it's verbal or physical.
They still nitpick with somebody and they know something
going to happen to them.
or they feel
that they can get away with it.
That's the form of retardation cuz you keep on doing
something like they say Insanity keep on doing something
and expecting a different result.
Y'all close down institutions?
Y'all put these people in these neighborhoods on the
street.
And if you from Chicago going on walk down town, I'm pretty
sure you see somebody walk ahead then they start wrapping
and doing all kind of stuff. But that's what y'all want the
public to see.
And in most cases y'all want to see the spotlight to be on
our end and our life.
So it can have a negative effect on our people.
Another form of retardation is y'all pay people have people
to come down here put on shirts Etc and they can't even
speak on the issues. Like we can we ain't even got to get
the agenda. All we got to know is the title and we just
come freestyle naturally.
because we sincere
Sanchez
Claimed that someone sexually harassed her.
Yes, she did with that Rosa thing. Yeah, she did what she
gonna wait to have the Bill Cosby affect the way 20 years
later then put it on that person and say hey they touched
me and they did this a form of retardation when somebody do
something to you like that. You have to point that out. You
supposed to be going press charges.
No, she didn't.
Because it's abnormal.
It's morbid. It's a sickness in your mind not to address
these issues just like it's a sickness in the Democratic
party not to address us as a people to address our
reparations to address our unjust. We can't even get no
lawyers. All they want to do is oh injury report injury
report because they got a lack of retardation in their
yourself, too.
You know what I'm saying? Just because you got some kind of
degree don't mean you got it all.
You know what I'm saying, uh, uh school education don't
give you common sense. That's why they wrote a book
separate called common sense.
You see so.
Stop being retarded.
Uh, our next speaker is Valerie Carroll.
Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Valerie Carroll, and
I am apparent leader.
And the co-chair of early learning campaign with coffee
power pack, Illinois. I'm also a community healer with Kofi
as a community healer. I've been trained to support other
parents through negative exposure therapy and Nami family
support group. I'm supporting parents in Northline there as
a community healer and have been hearing a lot of stories
from parents who have been experiencing intermediate
crisis.
And Trauma from the past.
Okay, um.
They want to be able to see professional but they are still
a few of their.
You are interrupting.
have you escorted out.
Excuse me, sir. I am also going to have you remove.
Sergeant-at-arms. I need Mr. Michael remove and I need Mr.
George Blake more remove.
I need silence in the chambers. And anybody that cannot keep
silence so that we can continue with the proceedings is
going to have to leave and I will ask for you to be
escorted out.
We came here to do work, and we need to do the work.
So I am going to beg you for silence.
and if you cannot
keep quiet while we hear public comment and while we
conduct this hearing then you have to go.
Thank you.
You can continue Miss Carol.
apologies
is it?
Back on. Okay. Yes. They want to be able to see
professionals. But there is a wait for everybody that needs
to be more clinically supported parents are coming to us in
the meantime, and we need to have more resources to back us
up. We need flyers. We need door knocking to get the word
out. It is great that the city has started to invest in
Mental Health Resources, but we need to make sure that
there is happening all across the city and the people have
to and the people have a space to vent in the past in the
past didn't share about their struggles with mental health
and Trauma now, we have people asking for help and they
need they they're not getting it. We need to make sure that
the community is included to get the word out and to
provide a peer-to-peer services and to be part of the
solution. Thank you.
Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Miss
Jessica Jackson.
For mental health. I want to talk about the intentional
infliction of emotional distress. That's bought on To Us by
way of City Council.
City council is selecting is inflicting intentionally
inflicting emotional distress on us.
Now I've been coming here for a year.
to deal with the fact that
Cook County
by way of the public administration office and the probate
of division is still in black people's property.
No, 1 does anything
Like the law man right there.
that inflicts intentional stress
on me when I know that he's from the law department and he
doesn't do anything but yet he's hearing me say how they
are breaking the laws over and over and over again. It's
intentional infliction emotional distress when we come in
here as black people and look at all the negative.
Uh statistics up there about us yet.
No, 1 does anything it's intentional infliction of
emotional distress when we as black people are charged for
our heart to just bleed about other people's hardships and
other people's problems from other countries other
religions and yet we can have a ultimate like Lawson for
example that sit there and read
And read but soon as somebody say something about the
Holocaust or the lgbtq. He going to get up and run up out
of here cuz he offended.
that's intentional infliction emotional distress the fact
that
I told Rosanna Sanchez Rodriguez that a hate crime needs to
be looked at about what's going on with black people and
the fact that they're still in our property and her
solution to that was to gather up a little Hispanic claim.
Make sure they ignore us.
Tell the lady that was over the humanities Department to
not move on it and then when she see me she like a lot of
what their culture is. She going to run it away. She going
to run it away that's intentional infliction of emotional
distress.
Oh, yes it is. When I'm looking at people up here that a
black like me and y'all going to sit here and y'all going
to charge play all these games and I do nothing to help us
that's intentional infliction of emotional distress. So to
sit up here and have this type of panel when you all know
that you stressing us out when you know that y'all just
trying to get money.
he
thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Isaiah
Rodgers.
Hello.
I'm Isaiah Rodgers. I'm a father grandfather.
And a great-grandfather. I'm coming up and I'm speaking on
Mental Health.
Coming from Cabrini greens and ABA. You know what I'm
saying being a destroyer my community now, I'm a Rebuilder.
I look and I see and I understand that y'all control things
y'all come to our neighborhoods and y'all bring other
people to our neighborhoods and then y'all expect them to
help us when they don't know nothing about us.
Then on top of that.
Excuse me. Y'all I see on 95th y'all building a mental
health, uh Clinic up there. Y'all took a lot of them down.
So we got people out here running around don't know no
better. I had to get 2 therapist because of the way that I
came up being shot and shooting other people.
Being a Rebuilder my community. I see it with fathers who
coming from prison or fathers who are trying to help their
children.
And then they're going through a mental complex themselves.
Then our children are going through a another mental
complex at school half of the kids smoking weed. There's no
there's no counselors for our children.
You know and then on top of that.
Things happen y'all send them back to parents who don't
know or how to help.
My question is when are we going to start getting somebody
to help us?
I also work with coffee moms on a mission and I work with a
program that fathers we help them help themselves to help
their children.
We sit around and we are talking about all of these issues
and issues and God knows what but I don't see nobody
getting off their behinds.
To really go out to the community and see what's going on.
So they can help make a solution. Y'all study making
problems and issues and there's no Solutions being made,
but then you throw it on a backs of us. Y'all throw other
people on top of us.
And then y'all sit around and y'all expect us to handle it
while y'all sitting y'all look nice luxury houses. You know
what I'm saying? And kick the ball balls. My thing is this
Chicago was a great City. But how it's going to continue to
be a great City when y'all keep demeaning the people that
live here?
They have to bring up their children. That's hard. You know
what I'm saying? You come home.
You done paid your dues to society. You want to help your
family, but now you can't.
Because your hands are tied. My thing is this I don't look
for nobody to Pat me on the back to give me help and no
handouts because I'm gonna get out here and get it myself.
But what I'm saying for the people that's going through
this mental situation that can't help themselves. When are
y'all going to start helping them and stop talking about
it. Y'all have the resources and the money because if y'all
could help the immigrants.
Why y'all can't help us that's already here.
See y'all sitting on another side of the table when we
sitting on this side of the table and we have to protect
ourselves, but y'all tell us we can't.
So y'all want to tie our hands and our feet?
But nothing is this check in your hearts and see where you
really at. Thank you for your comments.
I'm going to remind everybody that I need silence in order
to conduct this hearing. We are going to hear our last
public speaker and we will go into the discussion for the
hearing. Uh, our last speaker is Katrina fogner.
everyone
Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Katrina faltin. I am a parent
Guardian Auntie leader. I am a culture for health food.
Good afternoon, everyone. I am Katrina fogner. I am a
parent Guardian Auntie leader a culture a helpful and
recess for the campaign for power pack, Illinois and also
for coffee.
I live in a a progression area and I support and I used to
live in Englewood, but I also still works there.
I've been trained to support other parents through nervous
exposure therapy and also through Nami and also have my own
personal experience of needing um service for my children
who suffer through anxiety.
panic attacks and depression
as a parent regarding we need services that really help us
and meet us where we are in the crisis response that
connect us to longer term resources. Not just short terms
mental health effects children to adults. I say children to
adults because my father is 69 years old. He still
suffering to this day as a 12 year old kid.
He goes back every time and cries if you're around him. He's
crying when he see other kids playing and he's adult I
asked for these service because I don't want nobody else
father mother or their children to go through with my
family's been going through. I've been running from
hospital to hospital trying to get my twins up and started
getting them help. I've been prosecuted by different people
who's been penalizing me as if I'm crazy because I'm asking
for help for my children.
Now once have I stepped in not 1 room has nobody helped me
at all with my children. I've been almost a second way for
my kids because I've been asking for help and what I asked
for others to do don't just stand here. Don't talk about
it. Don't preach about it. Get on the ground boots on wall.
I am outside every day and all the communities what I want
to ask you guys to ask is you use a basket to get the
information out here, but we could get these mental health
clinics open I 1 or 2, but they need more I started as a
child. I didn't even know I was suffering from PTSD. My
mother died and my household and the life I live. This is
the first year of thanks God for this company. Yes, we got
these shirts on and they just nobody paying us. Don't
nobody pay me to tell my real life story. I don't care what
y'all think but I'm speaking from my heart because we do
need help not just oh this person making this up.
is my real life story.
hadn't Behind the Walls too step up and do y'all part?
We have no further speakers. Uh, so that finishes, um our
public comment. We had 11 speakers that spoke today and the
committee received no written public comment for today. Uh,
we share comments that were sent to us for our previously
scheduled July 8th meeting and we send them by email.
Uh, our first item of business is the approval of the rule
45 report from our July 12th meeting. Can I get a motion to
approve? Did you like 12, uh rule 45 report?
so moved by other, uh, Other Woman Ramirez, uh, all those
in favor signify by saying I
Opposed say nay in the opinion of the chairs the I have it.
And now we will move on to the next item today, which is
the presentation regarding the mental health system
expansion report recommendations. I am
Very very happy that we are here today. I'm very very proud
of the work that uh, we have all done together to get to
this uh point.
Um, I'm going to speak a little bit about today and then I
am going to introduce uh the guest.
Um, the report that we are going to bring to you today is
the result of more than a decade of struggle led by black
and brown people organizing together to meet the mental
health needs of our community.
I want to show my gratitude to uh, Brighton Park
neighborhood Council stop. Uh, particularly leaders like
Aro Cairo and Cheryl Miller. I also want to take a moment
to acknowledge the work of the Community Mental Health
Board, Dr. Judy King Lisa Salazar badon. Original Miss
Diane Kathy Powers. Um and Ronald Cowboy Jackson, they have
all been instrumental, um for for the work that we have
done. Um, I also want to take the M. Thank the mayor. Um,
thank you. Mayor Brandon Johnson and thank you to um,
everybody from the mayor's office that have spent so much
time trying to figure out how we can create this model
together. Um, thank you to the Department of Public Health.
Thank you Dr. E.
Um, and I also want to take a second to thank my staff. Um,
thank you Jonathan Naji. Thank you. Uh, John Coos barcenas.
I'm very particularly. I want to thank my chief of staff
Veronica. She has been working alongside me on these models
since the first draft, um that we presented to City Council
in 2020 and I am deeply grateful for your work. Um, I want
to dedicate, uh, the work that we are going to do today, um
to Irene Chavez who died in police custody, um, and she
desperately needed mental health. We are committed to
creating the structures that are needed so that that never
happens again so that people in Chicago regardless of where
they live they can get access, um to the mental health that
they desperately need and deserve and we're going to do it
together.
Also, thank you to all the committee members for being here
today. Um, it is an honor that you get to be here, um to to
have this discussion to ask questions and to help us
continue to shape this policy that is going to be really
important for our city.
Um now let's move on to introduce. Um, the guests that are
going to take us through this journey. Um, I want to uh,
welcome chief of policy you migrate spy Deputy Mayor Jen
Johnson Deputy Mayor Karen Gatewood and Deputy Mayor Lori
Lipson. Um, I would love to start by asking uh, our friends
in the Box to introduce themselves.
Hi everyone. I'm Dr. Simbo EIG the commissioner for the
Chicago Department of Public Health.
Good morning, Matt Richards Deputy Commissioner for
Behavioral Health.
Good afternoon, Adam Slade Deputy budget director of
community safety.
Good afternoon, Eren Hashem. Jawani director of
gender-based violence and and health policy.
Ellie lickerman she her senior policy adviser in the
mayor's office of community safety.
Good afternoon, everyone Mariano Saudia first Deputy of
Human Services in the education Youth and Human Services
team.
Good afternoon, Merit Solace assistant commissioner
representing the department of Fleet and facility
management. Good afternoon, Michelle Woods, Deputy
Commissioner of the Department of Fleet and facility
management.
Good afternoon. Been Amino. I'm the managing Deputy at DHR.
Hello everyone, Dr. Cairo Brighton Park neighborhood
Council
Good afternoon. I'm Miriam mckiever assistant director of
911 operations. Excuse me. Um, I'm I'm so sorry.
Miss Jessica, can you please leave?
Okay, let's move on.
Good afternoon, Tiffany patent Burnside licensed clinical
social worker and senior director of Crisis services with
Chicago Department of Public Health.
good afternoon, Alicia Warren assistant commissioner for
mental health cdph
Good afternoon, Latrice Moore assistant Commissioner of
Chicago Fire Department.
Is that everyone?
Thank you so much. I'm going to pass it now, uh to you me
Krispy who is going to walk us through the introduction.
Hi everyone. My name is Yumi griggsby. I'm chief of policy
for mayor Brandon Johnson.
Uh mayor Johnson's Vision to create a better stronger safer
future for Chicago is 1 where youth in their communities
have the tools and resources that they need to thrive.
Our mission is to both transform systems and practices that
create current and historic inequities also to repair past
harms that have contributed to purposeful disinvestment and
inclusion.
All the while working with our partners to build solutions
that result in a better stronger safer, Chicago.
We know that the prevalence of mental and behavioral health
conditions, especially amongst marginalized and vulnerable
communities requires investment and trauma-informed Public
Health Systems.
1 of these vital Investments is supporting improved mental
and physical health and interrupting cycles of trauma and
violence.
It is with this vision and in alignment and spurred by the
advocacy of many community members that the treatment not
trauma campaign ultimately determine the goals of the
mental health system expansion working group and Report.
Through collaboration with both Community experts and City
departments. This framework is an example of our mission in
action.
In line with the Johnson Administration Advocates elected
officials and community members agree that Chicagoans need
expanded mental health Clinical Services and a non-police
behavioral crisis response system.
Data from cdph and um as the map on on the screen shows
over 65% of black and latinx Chicagoans with serious
psychological distress are not receiving any treatment.
Lack of access to Quality low barrier Mental Health
Services can lead to detrimental consequences to Chicagoans
their families and entire communities. We can see on this
map the highest unmet mental health treatment need among
moderate to Serious psychological distress is concentrated
on the South and West sides of Chicago.
This is an alignment with the history of his um with the
legacy of historical disinvestment here in Chicago.
This data and the lived experiences that we heard from over
the course of the 6-month working group process drove the
recommendations in this report.
I will now ask Noreen Hashem jawani director of gbv and
health to to share more about the ordinance that
established the working group.
Good afternoon, everyone. Um, some of you may have already
heard me talk a little bit about this but as a recap, um,
the city council had established by ordinance the mental
health system expansion working group and tasks this
working group, um with establishing and presenting a report
that would be a framework with concrete recommendations. We
had 3 main objectives. The first was to expand mental
expand mental health Clinical Services. The second was to
instate a non police response for Behavioral and Mental
and the third was to increase Community awareness of
available Mental Health Resources. You heard from a lot of
us in our introductions, but here present are the members
of the working group and their representatives. So we have
representatives from fire from cdph from 2 FM DHR OBM
mayor's office and oemc, um, what I would like to highlight
here is the 400 plus community members that share their
expertise and lived experience as with us over the
course of 6 months, um through our multiple Community
meetings and public hearings on the screen here. You'll see
a QR code that will take you to our report.
On this next slide and I won't read the slide to you
because this is in the report are 2 test from 2 members of
experts that we consulted instead. What I will do is ask
Arturo C CIO to come and speak for us on community.
Thank you.
Hello. Okay. Thank you. Um a team members of
The city council's committee on health and human relations.
My name is Dr. Arturo Cairo director of health and binance
prevention for Barton Park neighborhood Council.
I am a licensed clinical social worker by training and 1 of
the collaborative for Community Wellness co-leads, which I
co-founded in 2017.
The collaborative for Community Wellness is a coalition
that brings together mental health professionals Community
Based organizations and Community residents to address the
lack of Mental Health Access and to redefine what mental
health looks like in order to match the needs of the
community.
As the authors of the treatment not trauma campaign. We saw
it to ensure the reinvestment and continued commitment to
Chicago's public mental health system.
Gaining the support of Chicagoans throughout the city. We
have fought to establish non police crisis response system
in Chicago.
The referendum that we introduced in 3 divers Awards in
November of 2022 asked voters a simple question.
shall the city of Chicago reopen all of the closed Chicago
Department of Public Health mental health centers in
support of a Citywide crisis response program that
dispatches mental health professionals and an EMT to mental
health emergency calls instead of the police.
in all 3 wards
the ballot measure passed by an average of 93%
in 1 Precinct in a 6 W 100
more in 2023. We conducted a Citywide survey exploring
Community Visions for Mental Health crisis response among
652 Chicagoans across all of the wards of the city.
We found that an overwhelming majority of survey
respondents believe that police should not have a role in
responding to Mental Health crisis instead survey
respondents overwhelmingly reported that crisis response
teams should be comprised of mental health professionals
and peer support Specialists who can both provide
compassionate and pathetic person centered care deescalate
support and connect individuals to a range of Financial
Resources Medical Care and emotional support services
necessary to promote both short and long-term Wellness.
the periods administration's focus on funding private
sector with Federal relief dollars to build the trauma form
centers of care is marred with challenges that our research
in 2023 was able to identify included limiting limited
Services being offered long, wait lists and costs that make
services on the table.
Recent developments with an existing recipient of the
funding.
Where layoffs have occurred point to the challenges in the
private sector and nonprofit system that has never been
able to adequately address the demand for mental health
access and underserved communities what happens when a
nonprofit sector faces further challenges and continues to
limit services offered.
Or end them entirely.
Since the beginning of the Johnson Administration, the city
of Chicago has made a public commitment to reinvesting the
public infrastructure of care 1 that prioritizes 1 of the
prioritizes reopening of barrier free publicly funded
publicly operated Mental Health Centers as well as a
creation of scaling of a fully funded non-police crisis
response program to address behavioral crisis as they
occur.
At the close of 2023 the Johnson Administration created a
working group that brought together City officials Key
Community stakeholders in order to perform the research and
to build out implementation plans necessary to make
treatment not trauma possible.
treatment at trauma is a plan that seeks to break the cycle
of trauma violence and poverty with a public health model
for Community Mental Health support as well as shared
safety that invests in the community care Workforce
centered around the city-run mental health centers
integrated by both behavioral health workers as well as
being able to support Crisis crisis lines at non police
crisis response teams to address mental health needs in
Chicago.
The collaborative for Community 1 is spent the first
quarter of 2024 holding listening sessions throughout the
city to gather a community-driven perspective of what is
needed to be considered to further operate and open Mental
Health Centers as well as other services in the city of
Chicago.
We received input from 423 people.
After conducting 6 in-person and 1 virtual listening
sessions.
As well as Citywide survey the biggest theme that we found
in our research.
Were ensuring that the we are centering services around the
awareness and accessibility creating Senators that are
inclusive culturally affirming and Community Center.
Staffing our centers and services with individuals who have
lived experiences that can relate to the day-to-day
challenges of community me members.
Creating systems that provide a Continuum of preventive and
crisis response care through a trauma-informed lens.
And finally empowering local systems of accountability to
adapt and make changes needed for our local communities.
Not only is the reopening of our centers and scaling of the
non police crisis teams incredibly urgent but is Paramount
that it's done. So in partnership with our diverse
communities across the city.
we have an opportunity to build the model for Community
Care 1 that centers on the needs of those most vulnerable 1
that is focused on creating infrastructure that cares
rather than criminalizes and 1 that can be modeled can be a
model for cities across the country.
Our goal is that this report gives a clear view of the
needs and demands of our community in partnership with
mayor Brandon Johnson's Administration, which is committed
to co governance as we look to work collaboratively to
create and invest in what a public infrastructure can truly
look like.
Our report along with our white paper released in July of
2023 both of which can be found on our website
collaborative for Community 1.org provide input to the
recommendations developed in the people's vision for mental
health and Behavioral Health reports shared with the mayor
in May that we are here to discuss today.
This is a plan that we are committed to seeing through its
completion.
in order to create a city-wide system that all Chicagoans
can have access to
The care that they deserve. Thank you very much.
Thank you Arturo on this next slide over here. You'll see
some of the concrete recommendations in the report. So
these are 5 and I would like to invite Deputy Mayor John
Johnson to speak to the first 1. Thank you Deputy Mayor Jen
Johnson of Education Youth and Human Services 1 of the most
important recommendations that came out of all of these
discussions and input is really thinking about how our
systems are integrated and so 1 of the key goals of the
work over the 3 phases will be to ensure that clinical
cervix expansion is connected with an integrated with our
work towards addressing Behavioral Health crisis. So this
will look different in different parts of this work but 1
of the kind of obvious paths that we will look towards um
ensuring that we are standing up is connecting our
alternate response, uh teams to our new clinics and so that
that will be a part of the analysis as we continue to move
forward to ensure that we are building towards
towards that connection and
this is about breaking
recommendation, uh, absolutely, uh, Deputy Mayor again
Gatewood, uh, as you see on the third recommendation, uh,
the talk is the design and Implement a robust robust plan
to build out a community care Corps. I said that means
we're going to create a wide range of quality public jobs,
uh to staff our cities Behavioral Health System, uh, you
know, that's a moral priority and it's been a a reflected
in the people's plan for Community safety, you know, this
work is being led in conjunction with the Department of
Public Health and Dr. E and her team have done a phenomenal
job of not only recruiting people to be a part of this
health corporate building out with this looks like as we
move into the next iteration of this work, uh, from what
we've done in care to what the next iteration looks like.
So there's been a great piece of partnership there, you
know our partners again over at the department Department
of Public Health
Been doing incredible work on that front, um through the uh
uh, people's plan for Community safety. We're actively
training planning a training module module that will help
current community health workers gain additional skills
that are necessary, uh to think about what else is on the
horizon for the work that's to come. So we're excited about
what's on the horizon. We're excited about the work that's
happening. But really really excited about creating
different Pathways to employment through the city of
Chicago for people who have been interested in doing this
work.
Thank you. If I could invite Deputy Mary Lori lepson next.
Lori Lipson deputy mayor of infrastructure. So the 4th
recommendation that you see on the screen is our Capital
plan. So part of the expansion is to have a place for these
services. So currently we're working on um, Laura West
Clinic and the rosling clinic. Um, and what we plan to do
is make sure that the services that Dr. E gaze team will be
putting together has appropriate place, um to have these
services and we will put together a plan moving forward to
collaborate, uh, moving forward but we have uh, 2
locations, uh, and we are excited that we will be opening
soon.
Thank you and the final recommendation on this on the
stack you'll see is to develop metrics and evaluation
plans. We really want to be able to deliver the impact. Um
as well as share, you know areas of improvement with this
body and so we're really excited about that. Um these
overarching recommendations, you'll see our cross cutting
across those 3 different objectives that I mentioned
earlier in the deck, um for the last um, or sorry for the
second 1 on this slide, I would ask Adam to come and speak
to the budget note.
Thank you, uh OBS task as a part of the working group was to
estimate the costs for all these great ideas that we've
discussed so far already and so taking the expansion that
the 2024 budget, uh put forth on expending Mental Health
Services. We wanted to estimate what potential future costs
might be to achieve the goals that we set out in the
recommendations and our job at the budget office is to
continue to evaluate those costs moving forward and to let
the budget process play itself out so we can fund these
Services into the future.
hi, everyone, Mariano Saudia first Deputy of Human
Services. And I was lucky enough to be able to facilitate 1
of The Working groups in particular the 1 regarding
clinical expansion services. And so, um again, you've
already heard the partners and the folks who have around
the table including Community. Um, and what we came up with
and you can see this in the report is an implementation
framework for building out Behavioral Health Continuum of
Care. I'm going to focus on The Clinical Services section,
which is that very top section of the graphic that you see
on the slide. Um, and I'm going to talk about each of these
phases, um, which may have things happening at the same
time, but we wanted to lay them out in a way so that we can
see a little bit of a progression
On what we're going to be able to have and as we continue to
develop and grow in each of the areas of the
recommendations that you see in the report. Um it what's
currently in progress in Phase 1 is to establish a
comprehensive vision for clinical service expansion. When
you look at the report, you will see uh, 4 strategies that
you've already heard today, but you'll see those 4
strategies listed out 1 of them is to co-locate Services,
um in uh, organizations or partner agencies sister agencies
and Departments of the city of Chicago, so be able being
able to layer those in um, another strategy is to layer in
mental health services and current Chicago Department of
Public Health Clinics. So that might include a clinic that
is currently doing STI or immunizations really identifying
where there might be opportunity to bring in additional sir
services to provide more holistic responses to community
members.
In that Community, um, and then a third strategy is to open
new clinics. Um, I think you saw the map at the very
beginning that's 1 of the ways that we're thinking about
where clinics are going to be opening or where we might
expand our collo and then the fourth strategy is to reopen
um, actually shuttered clinics those clinics that were
closed, um before and really reopen those 2 Community
because we know that those continue to be needs within um
within all of our community
Communities, uh, Phase 2 is really the step that's going to
take us to lay the foundation of what we heard from
Community. Um, we want to be able to provide accessible low
barrier responses full service 247 Clinical Services. So in
order to make a shift like that, we really need to identify
what the steps are set a very good foundation that we can
build upon within the next several years to be able to do
that. And and we are we have already actually begun some of
the work within Phase 2 and some of those recommendations
that are in Phase 2.
And then phase 3 is to launch, uh, the certified community
behavioral health clinic implementation plan really being
able to identify utilizing a um mapping strategy and
overlay strategy of where Community uh needs are what
opportunities they are along really building on all of the
Departments, uh that have worked together. So as you heard
Deputy Mayor libsyn speak about we will are looking at you
know, what buildings do we owned what land do we own what
opportunities are there across the sea of Chicago overlay
that with need and where um, we will be able to open
opportunities for our community members. It's already been
mentioned, but I think it's important to reiterate that we
already have some wins this year. Um, and I think we should
be saying it all the time so 1 of the first things we've
already done and
might have heard about this is we are co-locating in legler,
uh Regional Library serving the West Garfield, um our
community and so that has already started in July. So we're
very excited. Um, and as was mentioned the strategy of
layering Mental Health Services into the lower, uh to the
Lower West Side, otherwise known as pilson cdph Clinic is
underway and very close to being able to be stood up and
then finally, uh, the Rossland Community Health Center
being able to open that shuttered clinic. We're very
excited about being able to do that. Um, and again is is in
process, um and in partnership with City Department so that
we are on track to get that completed this year.
I'm going to pass it over to Ali.
Thank you, Mariana. Um, good afternoon. Thank you to the
chair for inviting us. So excited to talk about this work.
Um, my name is Ally lickerman. I use she her pronouns and
I'm a senior policy adviser in the mayor's office of
community safety. I had the privilege of facilitating the
non-police alternate response subgroup as well as working
with our care team throughout the working group process. We
work diligently with City stakeholders from the Department
of Public Health Fire Department emergency management and
communication Fleet and Facilities human resources and the
office of budget and management. So just huge thank you to
all who participated um, as well as Community Based
organizations labor Advocates service providers
researchers.
And our partners at other levels of government to make sure
we are developing a plan for the expansion of Behavioral
Health crisis response in Chicago. That's both Visionary
and operationally sound in line with the mayor's Vision.
Our subgroup was driven by the belief that every Chicago
resident and Behavioral or Mental Health crisis deserves to
be connected to the right resource at the right time and we
developed a plan to make that a reality this plan centers
Quality Care Community engagement permanence and
solidifying care as part of the public first responder
ecosystem.
Alignment with the Clinical Services subgroup work
highlighted by my colleague for Deputy of Human Services
Mariana. Asora our recommendations fall into 3 phases Phase
1 focuses on shifting care to a fully health-driven non
police model of Behavioral Health crisis response, uh, as
you'll see in our lovely wins Box by the end of 2024, we
will be doubling the number of care alternate response
teams, uh, and rolling CPD and cfd off the model sending
them back to their primary purpose work crisis clinicians
and EMTs who serve in Caravans will be housed in the
Chicago Department of Public Health and dispatch and
communication will continue to be provided by the office of
emergency management and communication. Thank you to the
hard work of our incredible City staff and the support of
the mayor. Uh, this phase is already in progress. We've
already reached an agreement between oemc CPD cdph and the
Office of Public Safety Administration to ensure care
maintains access to first responder ecosystem.
Communication channels this will allow the police department
department to call for a care team. If an officer
encounters a Behavioral Health crisis and a care District
in the field and for care teams to call for CPD if support
is needed for safety reasons.
We're also working with the office of emergency management
and communication and the Department of Public Health to
improve primary dispatch and increase car's call volume
establishing a plan for engagement in the field between
care and our other first responder ecosystem departments
and relocating care headquarters to a cdph building finally
in Phase 1. We will also be determining an evaluation
partner to make sure we're continuing to improve and
highlight how effective this model can be and already is
once we finish the transition to a more Behavioral Health
focused care alternate response model. We'll move to phase
2 which focuses on care permanence. This will include
shifting our staffing schedule to expand operational hours
and beginning conversations about how we can expand our
teams to reach a wider range of mental and Behavioral
Health needs safely.
We will take into account the wide range of lived and
professional experiences that prepare individuals to
respond to Behavioral Health crisis in our hiring.
Finally in Phase 3. We will significantly expand Care's
reach with the long-term goal of Citywide 24/7 coverage.
This will entail launching new team types and exploring
organizational models to best support and sustain the work,
uh of our care teams as we move towards a city around
Behavioral Health continuum.
As they stated at the beginning implementation is already
underway. Many of The Talented staff in this box are in
multiple meetings a week to plan and Report out on progress
and I want to thank our Care staff who are out providing
services and dispatching our teams right now.
This work is happening in lock step with our city staff
working on Clinical Services partners and labor Advocates
and community. And as our crisis clinicians often remind me
we will only be able to prevent the next Mental Health
crisis if we can connect our residents with long-term
support and resources to address their underlying needs
that's going to take all of us working together and then
some
Um, and if we had to the next slide, we'll talk a bit about
the final portion Community engagement.
Um, I'll share some Framing and then throw it over to
Mariana as we speak through, uh or talk through the
specifics. So the final section of our report covers
Community awareness for both Clinical Services and
Alternate response really speaking to this whole Continuum
and how it works together. These recommendations can really
be split into 2 categories raising awareness and feedback
loops. So starting with raising awareness these
recommendations focus on developing and implementing a
city-wide multilingual public awareness campaign to inform
residents about available Mental Health Resources,
including new and existing resources and focuses. Again
Citywide, the second piece feedback. Loops is really
targeting the communities being served by our care teams
and Clinical Services. Uh, and the goal here is again to
raise awareness but uh digging in more on the services
specifically being offered
these communities and to receive feedback from those being
served in real time in order to improve Services inform our
evaluation and really build trust with our city service
providers. Um, so with that I'll throw it to Mariana.
Yeah, so thank you Ally. Um, you've heard Ally talk a
little bit about the first item that you see there which is
develop and Implement a multilingual public awareness
campaign. I think 1 of the critical components is what we
realize and we heard on the ground and many of you might
agree is that not everyone knows what we offer at the
Chicago Department of Public Health or at the city of
Chicago and so it's critically important that we ensure
that we have a plan in place that is responsive. We heard
the term culturally affirming and it has the accessible
language needed. So that's going to be a critical component
of ensuring that we are effectively letting the community
know what the services are when we bring them on. Um, and
when we're about to bring them on and then more importantly
before we bring them on to guide that work that of the
services that we we need. I'm going to skip number 2 for a
moment. Um, and just go to number 3, we want to improve
cdph appointment booking process. We know that through
technology there have been Lots
Lots of changes in the way that we interact and we do things
within the health system. So we want to ensure that the
Chicago Department of Public Health also, um lives up to
those new technology components and really looking at what
are the opportunities to be able to identify how to
Families how to individuals how to community members access
services in the in a way that is easy for them to navigate
and that's going to take looking at how do they book an
appointment?
And then fourth we're going to partner with the city
departments to ensure information is easily accessible to
the public. We you have heard us talk about the full force
of government. That means that all of our departments
sister agencies should have clear understanding and
information of the services that we offer for at the city
of Chicago and the way that we offer them so that they are
able to communicate that and be another arm of information
to communicate the services that we provide. You also heard
us talking about breaking down silos. We learned a lot in
the last 6 or 7 months around being able to work in
partnership with departments and City agencies. And so we
want to build on those Lessons Learned to ensure that we
are actually using that full force of government
opportunity and then I'll come back to number 2 and I I
really want to lift that 1 up because it's critical to
where how we got to where we are now and really how we're
going to get within the next phases and into the next
several years, um at the
City of Chicago to strengthen both, um Clinical Services and
Alternate response. And so that is to continue to organize
and engage communities offering opportunities such as Town
Halls, um resource meeting identifying advisory
opportunities being able to have workshops to not only
disseminate information and gather feedback, but gather
like real ideas and experiences. We learned a lot in these
last 7 or 8 months and we want to build on that and the
only way that we can do that is in partnership with um, our
community and by Community, I mean those folks on the
ground living breathing working living living housed in
those community and sometimes unhoused in those
communities. So we're going to be very intentional about
the way that we engage with, um, our communities in the
different, uh Community areas and Wards of the city.
Thank you. Yep, and then our last 3 recommendations
definitely recommend you go read the report for all 40. Um
our start with building on our existing Care Community
processes are fantastic care teams already have a process
for engaging communities that they're going to serve. I
believe they spend at least a month before starting to
provide services in a new District. Just getting to know
the community the providers um, and and it introducing
themselves so want to learn from and continue growing that
as we enter new spaces both for Clinical Services and Care,
um reviewing all of our relevant job descript
To really formalize the community engagement responsibility.
We know this is something that everyone at the city does
and also we want to make sure that we are giving our staff
time and resources and support to do that and that it's not
something that falls through the cracks because it's in
everyone's job description or in specific people's job
descriptions rather. Um, and then finally really focusing
on recruitment for our community care Corps, which has
deputy mayor Gatewood shared is that wide range of jobs
that it's going to take to support and build out this
network. That's everything from community health workers
peer support workers clinicians EMTs, um wide range of jobs
that require wide range of lived experiences and
professional decrees, um, really focus on recruitment from
the communities that care serves and that our Mental Health
Centers serve so that uh, we can be as culturally affirming
as possible and we're also creating jobs in the communities
we're serving. Um, and with that I will throw back to Nori
Thank you Allie. Um on this last slide, you'll see our
website as well as an email address where you can reach us
on the website, you'll find the report. So it has all 40
recommendations there as well as some more information
around each of those recommendations in terms of what have
we done. What do we intend to do going forward? Um, but
really welcome your um partnership on this again, we've had
400 plus Community touch points so far that number is
growing we expect it to keep growing and so everyone who's
here today. We want to hear from you. So please do reach
out to us so you can
In touch and with that chair, I'll turn it back over to you.
Thank you Noreen. Um, this work has become an exercise on
imagination everybody that has been involved in this work
has had to work hard to figure out how do we materialize
something that has felt like a huge dream for a very long
time and I want to tell you all How Deeply grateful I am
that you have engaged with this exercise and that we have
been able to come this far. Um, so now I would like to open
space for my colleagues to be able to ask questions. Um,
anybody wants to ask questions or comments?
other woman having
sure, um 1 congratulation, um at the day as and
the teams that rep you represent with all of the workers
behind you. Um, really appreciate this, um, also,
Very much like this. It's very pretty. Um, thank you for
putting this in very digestible form. Um, my question gets
to was excited to see the kind of hiring goal timeline, uh
for the end of 2024. I know that hiring has been a
challenge, um, not just for the city but for even some of
our nonprofit,
Partners in this field. Um, so just wondering if somebody
could speak a little bit more to the details. Um, I know
the teams are doubling, um, but if you could speak a little
bit more to um, what the actual numbers will be and then
what the impact of uh those increased numbers, which you
hope I won't hold you so much to a Chris, um, what you hope
the impact of those numbers will be as far as uh, uh
Geographic coverage for Chicagoans.
um Matt Richards Deputy Commissioner for Behavioral Health,
so
We are really really pleased with how hiring has gone. So I
just want to give you a sense of scale. So if you look at
the size of the mental health staff at the health
department in 2019. It was approximately 55 people.
We're in July and we had a bunch of offers that were just
accepted. We've hired approximately 45 people so far this
year.
And mental health so that's new people. So it's really
substantial. Um, and that's really in 2 areas. So it's on
the mental health clinic side. We've we've almost doubled
the number of therapists that we have. So we have enough
staff to open the 2 new clinics already. Those folks are
starting, uh in the coming weeks. Um, and then on the care
side, uh, the alternate response side,
We've hired a whole new group of emergency medical
technicians because the fire department is phasing out
along with the police department and we've hired additional
crisis clinicians. So we have uh enough team members to
staff all the new vehicles, um that were intending on on
operating this year. Um, so really really really pleased
with the progress and I attribute it to really a couple of
different things the mayor's leadership, uh, really in
helping us, uh, approach hiring in a new way, uh in
partnership with the Department of Human Resources, the
mayor's team, um appreciative of the chairwoman, um, in
terms of us amplifying the hiring opportunities. I think
there's a lot of enthusiasm and interest right now. Um, so
I think that that's another another part of it. There was a
second part to your question. I apologize, um, uh with the
increase basically in Staffing for teams what we'll see as
far as coverage for the city,
or hope to see
so
Um currently we operate teams in 4 different police
districts, right? And the vision that's outlined in the
report is really expanding, uh service in 3 different ways
1 is expanding the number of communities served. So that
means having teams in new police districts and that of
course will be um data driven, but also a co-governance
process for Designing where where those expansions occur.
Uh a second part is adding evenings and weekends. So that
involves basically you need to have 2 teams in each
district in order for those 2 teams to be able to cover
evenings and weekends. And so that's also contemplated in
the report. That was something that the mayor and the
mayor's team prioritized in the last budget.
Thank you for that and I guess and put putting in my 2
cents. I think that evening weekend expansion would be most
most helpful and critical. Um, uh second question if I may
chair, uh, I've got 2 more questions. Um, so the special
team that was working with the peer counselors, um around
um, uh opioid overdoses. Um, how has that gone? Will that
continue?
Matt Richards Deputy Commissioner for Babel health, so
that's the opioid Response Team. Um, so I think we've
learned a lot. We've been doing it for about a year and I I
think I would say a couple things. So the first the first
thing is that when we've been able to engage people those
interactions have been very productive. So we get people
harm reduction supplies which includes no locks on Fentanyl
and xylazine test strips referring people to medication
assisted recovery.
Um The Challenge has been the contact rate. The contact rate
has been low approximately 10% and when you look at uh, the
research on these teams and what we see in different
cities, the contact rate is higher.
What do I attribute the difference to? Uh, we're trying to
locate people 24 to 72 hours after the overdose and what
we're looking at right now is if we were to actually engage
people in the emergency department before they left.
Uh, could we increase the contact rate and that has been a
practice that has worked in other cities. It's complicated
because we have to get hospitals to approve us being in the
emergency department and there's patient privacy stuff. But
that's 1 of the things we are looking at right now. Um,
that's our biggest concern is we want to use our resources
wisely. So, um, you know, we're looking at whether that
could improve the contact rate.
Thank you for that and my last question, um is on how
engagement has been with um other crisis response teams. So
ones that are funded through, uh State funds currently, so
I know that we are uh in my area fortunate to work with,
uh, trilogies fact team. Um, and I think 988 is running and
I'm just wondering I know this was like we're living the uh
building the system as we go piece. So just the song could
speak to how that's going. What does that integration look
like and
What you're hoping for in the next year?
I I will start and then pass it on to Tiffany, you know 1
of the things that we have learned. Um over the last few
years is sustainability requires.
braided
Interventions that there is no 1 City or 1 government that
can solve for the scale of the problem. We're seeing right
now. So 1 of the approaches that we have used is the
behavioral health health crisis Continuum and how we can
synergize and complement each other, you know, so in that
spectrum is the 211 system 311. How are people seeking help
and how do we respond regardless of what door um that that
request comes from. So 2111 3111 988
Uh 911 9111 was the the pathway that we started with and
that is when people are asking for help in a crisis. They
go to 911. How can we filter through that and then deploy
Behavioral Health, but now there's 988 which is like a
focused Health Resource and number and that was rudimentary
at the beginning but is now building up to the state is
funding that so we are collaborating with them and then
through 311 when people don't even have any of these other
options if they call for help. We also want to channel and
and get those on board so we will now talk
About some of the synergies we've been exploring for 988.
Um, Tiffany
so, um, since the care team has been um live we have been
working in partnership with the 590 grantees meeting with
them regularly to make sure that we are not um muddying and
already uh, entrenched playing field with who's on scene
first. How do we move when when people get there um, and so
we've been able to create a kind of a seamless process when
all teams are on the on the same, uh call at the same time.
Um, additionally we have been working with the uh, region
11 CES a committee just so that we can stay a breast of and
continue to inform as region 11 is the region for the city
of Chicago and Cook County. So in being able to be in the
same room to be able to inform how they're um, operating
very as well as how we're operating. So we're operating in
the same direction, um going in the same direction as the
special cessa legislation. Um, we'll go live in 2025 July 1
of 202.
So we're trying to make sure that our trajectories are in
the same direction. So we've been meeting with as I stated
the uh, region 11, uh crisis Continuum. We've also been
meeting with the UIC crisis Hub who is responsible for the
training. So we have been working in tandem with them to
ensure that all crisis workers within the city of Chicago
have the same or similar.
Uh Behavioral Health crisis trainings across the board. So
whether you get a 590
current with the practices that they are putting forward
with their teams additionally as Dr. E gave mentioned
working with 911 and 988 as the cesa legislation comes on
board and the paps are starting to change and ensuring that
the call triages for 911 and 988 and how those calls get
transferred Works seamlessly across the board as we're
moving towards that July 1 2025 deadline.
Thank you. Yep, and I'll add just um talking a bit about
how 988 and those other partners that Tiffany and Dr. EK
mentioned were involved in the development of this report.
Um, so we spoke with folks from idhs and from the UIC
crisis Hub who are greatly helping with cessa
implementation as well as region 11, uh before the report
was published walk them through everything that touched
their work to make sure we got their input. They're very
excited about getting to work together. There's a
recommendation in here about bringing back monthly meetings
with all the 5990 grantees in our areas that I Know
Tiffany. Oh, oh
It started today says Tiffany. Um
Tiffany runs everything. Um, yeah, so that's exciting and
region 11 Dr. Markle who runs our region 11 rack, which is
the um cessa implementation body for our region was also on
board on helping use that space really looking at where are
the places we're already meeting and intersecting. How do
we add this to the agenda instead of putting another
meeting and everyone's calendar and everyone has seemed
very on board with as you said exactly like we are building
the plane as we fly it as Dr. E said we don't want to
duplicate that's not helpful. How can we really complement?
And as we continue building out as regulations change, how
do we split up the spectrum of Acuity that our 9888 teams
can maybe be somewhere longer they can go to calls that
take a little longer to get to because they don't have the
same regulations that a team that has an EMT on it might
have and that's being dispensed by oemc might have as we
build towards our teams being able to safely get to higher
Acuity calls either on their own depending on the team or
working with our other first responder departments. So all
that say a lot of work to do but the conversations are
certainly being had
Thank you. Ali. Uh Jen, did you want to share if I may just
wanted to give cdph and opportunity also to kind of brag on
the opioid Outreach work that they're doing. Um, they're
engaging in a really important campaign with the Westside
opioid and heroin task force truly try to get the resources
and information into the community particularly on the west
side. So on Saturday, they had an incredible event with
ceph staff the Westside OPI task force.
Their Community Partners and volunteers at the Austin branch
of the regional not Regional the Austin Branch library. And
so we're really again thinking about how does a city asset
like the library serve as a hub for other services and then
how do those Services really get communicated out to
community? Um, and this is specifically obviously due to
the um numbers being worse in terms of opioid overdose on
the west side. And so we're you know, I know that they're
going to learn from that and we're going to bring that into
our mental health work, right? How does the Outreach work
the Outreach work go um, because some of the difficulties
with connecting with people after the fact, so a lot of the
work is um, expanding around prevention and education.
And we will definitely continue talking about that here in
the committee. Um, I always welcome uh suggestions for uh
for hearing so that we can bring our departments here to
talk about it. We recently had the opioid, uh response, um
hearing and we will continue doing those. I have Alderman
loss on. Thank you.
Thank you chair. Um, I like to follow all the women Haden
because she asks half of my questions.
Only half of mine are good. She she took them so, um
I'd like to shift. Can we talk about the money a little
bit, uh, if we could put the slide up, uh, that that talks
about the budget projected through 2027. I had a couple
questions on that. Um,
so
by 2027 what what? What does that take us right do does is
that a full coverage care system? That's 24/7 is that you
know, is that the the Continuum of mental health Clinical
Services and co-located services we have or is it?
half of sort of the system we think we need
And I'm not sure who that's for but sure I'll I'll take
this uh, Adam slate Deputy budget director of community
safety of the the budget that we put forth is a growth
pathway toward, uh that level of service but it does not
get us there.
And we have to constantly assess the needs on the ground.
So in 3 years Mental Health Service demand might be even
higher or it might be lower. So it's literally an Ever
evolving discussion with cdph to figure out where resources
need to be deployed. And in what form or fashion?
so 1 of the reasons I asked that is is there's very little
increase from 26 to 27 projected and I didn't know if that
was maybe sort of where we thought The Sweet Spot was is
going forward again having to be flexible for whatever
meets us. But if if that was sort of a
You know a level people are comfortable with uh, beyond
that it looks like a cola between those 2 years.
Matt Richards Deputy Commissioner for Behavioral Health, so
I think in the report, you know, I think we were trying to
achieve a balance which is
committing to a certain set of expansions on both the
clinic side and on the alternate response side while also
giving ourselves space to continue to work with our
partners to decide what needs to happen next right? And so
I think the budget figures reflect that the commitments of
things were already doing. Let me just be really explicit
about that is we're opening 2 new mental health clinics.
We are doing new collocations, which is we're positioning
mental health providers that work for the city and high
priority communities where we don't already have services
and I expect we're going to see more of that. That's 1 of
the things we discussed over the next year or 2. And again,
that's going to be data driven in partnership with
community. And then I think you know as we had towards
those latter years that's where we need to continue to have
the conversation of what moves do we need to make next I
think on the on on the alternate response side.
We have 4 teams right now. There's enough budget resources
here to substantially expand the imprint and I think we
don't want to get ahead of what we're learning as we go. We
have enough resources to really double the scope of that
program and I think again, it's the same principle here.
As we do that doubling and as we're engaging with our
partners, what do we see? Where are the unmet needs? What
moves do we need to make that's the thinking behind it?
Um, I know 1 of the things that we've discussed is that
there are potentials for cost savings on the system the
more prevention we have if we're taking the police out of
the equation that's over time, you know, that's that's a
different rate has any of that projected at all, um, you
know over the course of the next, you know, 3 budget years
if there's any savings to other departments including
public health because we we have a better intervention
system.
Yes, so these are some of the areas where I'm a preventive
specialist. So that's where my bias is is that we know we
have seen from our data that there's some factors that
predispose people to Mental Health crisis, um housing for
instance lack of job Etc. So we're looking now as the city
begins to spend in this areas, um where we can really
reduce the demand for mental health because as people
become housed as more jobs become available, as you know,
some are programs expand, uh, could we then begin to
reduce?
The demand for mental health services, um another area where
where we're exploring cost savings is our partnership with
CPS. We have a back to school program. For instance. If 50%
of mental issue mental health issues start before the age
of 14. So if we can identify children who have behavioral
health issues and we can connect them to care then then we
can reduce the demand on the back end. So we are starting
that August 2nd with CPS, um at that level then other ways
of saving is also looking at the data that we have right
now for demand for services about 37% of our services are
in person, which means you know more of the services we
provide are Telly health. So rather than continuing to
build physical locations, where are there opportunities to
meet people in different spaces. So the library work, uh
partnering with senior centers, um, and then expanding
Telly Works options, um other
there are other opportunities to again layer on the services
where people already are and then like on Saturday like um,
uh Deputy Mayor Jen Johnson is saying we are going door to
door and getting information to people so they can also
maximize the resources that are available to them. The
county is expanding. The state is expanding. Our Community
Partners are expanding we are expanding if we are able to
connect people to Resources by taking information to them
rather than waiting for them to come to our website. Can we
again reduce the crisis rate? So these are ways that we are
continuing to tweak our budget protection by optimizing
efficiencies, um within the entire Spectrum all the way to
the end and then where their gaps the that is our sweet
spot to ensure that we can rapidly deploy deploy additional
resources. Right? Right. I I appreciate that. I think it's
tough to quantify.
Um, you know a dollar savings and it's not just your your
department. It's it's CPD. It's Cedar its streets and sand.
I mean there's there's a lot of people um that have to
work, um sort of on the back end once there's a crisis or
an issue. Um,
Can I do 1 more quick question? Can I or you want to follow?
Yeah, sorry. I just actually um, you and Greg's the chief
of policy. I just I know that you're going to dive right
into that report in front of you and read it front to back.
And so I just wanted to direct your attention, you know,
when in your free time, uh to Pages 74 and 75 where we have
some suggestions around Financial sustainability, right?
Thank you. I love that. I love that. Um, I have uh, the
cares car in the 19th District. It serves my entire award.
Um, I would please ask that when we look at uh expansion in
the you not take it out of any districts. Um, uh, and
they're busy, right? Uh, I see them at balmonte. I see them
at the Sonic. I know they're at Wrigley, you know, I mean
and they serve, you know, they serve neighborhoods to the
north and and South and West they're in uptown. They're in
Lincoln Square. So, um, you know, we are excited about the
expansion we would like to you know, we know that it's a
it's a 24-hour operation and how we get there. Um, I would
hope we have good partners with our hospitals. Um, I'm I'm
assuming
The Sonic is a good partner because they always have been
in the past and if they aren't you need to let us know
right? Um, this has got to be a group effort here. Um, and
we fully support you adding geography and teams. So a very
happy to hear about the hiring. I don't think we've heard
that much. Uh, that hiring is going well really almost
anywhere. Um, I want to thank you chair for this work. It's
you know, it's an elephant right and it's 1 bite at a time.
And how do you put this in a way that um is accessible and
goals are reachable and I I think
This is really exciting for all of us. So thank you. We are
very excited and we would love your testimony because when
we come to city council and we uh need a city council
support, we would love for you know members of of this body
to be able to speak on how important having these resources
in. Our communities are on the difference that they make.
Um, I have Alderman SEL Lopez and then Alderman Ramirez
Rosa
thank you, uh chairwoman and I want to also um commend you
and your team for um, making sure that these um this plan
and the investment of mental and Behavioral Health is a
priority. So what I commend you and all your team as well
as commissioner Iggy.
Um just a few questions. I think some of them are already
were covered. Um, this is specifically around some of the
working progress about some of the mental health clinics
and all in the lower west side and in pilson, uh, there's
also an emphasis on young, uh, youth, um access for mental
health services. So maybe if inovik is a work in programs
that we're very grateful that you have helped us, um, you
know increase the the number of the spaces for young
people.
So when I just um ask in terms of just a little bit more
detail in terms of how do you see this work being
implemented? I know it's been gradual. So I want to just um
ask a little bit more in detail. And again, we are very
grateful and um, uh commend you for your efforts to make
this happen, uh, you and the Johnson Mayor Johnson
Administration.
Uh, okay, Alicia Warren assistant commissioner for mental
health at cdph. Um, so um, we are right now working on a
community engagement plan that I think is first and
foremost around our our mental health clinic expansion so
that we can be really responsive to the needs of all the
communities that we're moving into so that every service
that we deliver whether that be more youth focused. Um, you
know, particularly I think in pilson we are are looking at
recruiting staff that are bilingual. Um, we've had with all
of the successful hiring we've had
um, we've actually gotten quite a few bilingual therapists,
which I'm very excited about. Um, so we've expanded
capacity for that. Um, we're asked also putting out a
therapist specialty survey right now with all of our
clinicians with all the new ones we have on board to
understand what are their service, uh, delivery strengths
what are areas that they want to grow in so it can help us
with recruit Recruitment and Retention of of therapists.
But also, how do we be responsive to the services that are
needed? So for example knowing that pilson is um a pretty
young Community we want to make sure that we have
therapists that are specialized in children and Adolescent
delivery and family therapy delivery. And so those are the
things that we're thinking about right now.
Now, uh with all of the the therapists that will move into
the pilson clinic and we'll we'll be doing the same thing
with Rosalind and any other clinical expansion that we do
in in our extension clinics as well.
Thank you. Um, and we're really excited and thankful for
for um, the use of of these Clinic that I tell you when I
first started it was almost morning to shut down. So I tell
you that maybe there's a lot of skepticism because this
work takes time, but I tell you that it is um, it is real.
Um,
It is a real change what we've seen from not being able to
have conversations to see now the fruition and the results
of of the work and the um the work of the health committee.
So thank you chairwoman. The last 1. I know some of the
questions already were covered.
um, this is around the um 9888 calls and of course that the
um, non police response model that uh, the chair woman has
championed and our core hardly agree that that is the right
thing to do and the right path to go in terms of just how
do you seeing the um the calls and how you already seen
some of the impact and the results of these early
Investments. I know that we talked about here. So so heard
in the public comments concerns about safety and I do think
that where we have talked with community members and
talking about the 8 the 988 calls had domestic violence
calls can be rerouted and that is actually uh addressing
and helping us decompress some of the calls and to have a
better response. Ultimately. What is where
Constituents would like to see so just in terms of some of
the um, maybe some of the data that I think reaffirms the
the new approach that Administration has it maybe you can
share a little bit with us again. We are fully supportive
and thankful of all these efforts.
Tiffany patent cdph, um, as far as a 988 911 relationship
its ever evolving as I mentioned earlier with the cesa
legislation having been expanded or extended 4 times now
because this system is brand new for the state of Illinois
and very very complex. Um, our region in and of itself is
its own region and the state is trying to figure out how to
do this work in rural areas as well as in Chicago. And so
it's it's a little complex but
where we are right now is working with the individual paps
so that or the the systems by which 911 and 9888
communicate in an effort for them to be able to seamlessly
transfer calls on the state side of things they are now or
will be going into their pretest and pilot phase of uh, the
call Triage is so when you call 911 and questions are asked
how do they know? How does a 911 dispatcher know that this
call is appropriate for 988 and how will a 988 dispatcher
know the cause appropriate for 911 and within that context
for our region for
Region 11 and within Chicago we're working very closely with
our 911, uh Team to be able to create the appropriate
questions so that their call takers are asking questions to
be able to pretty much direct traffic who's better fit
suited to go to 988 are the needs of this call better
suited for someone who can sit on the phone a little longer
and not it's it's not an emergent crisis and I think the
the issue within this or the context to take within this is
understanding that there is emergent crisis and then
there's individual crisis and emerging crisis requires a
first responder response, which you will get a police a
fire or a care team and then you may get a less emergent
crisis where there's someone who can who can stay on the
phone do verbal deescalate 988 provider or 590 provider to
come out. Our time frames are a little different. They have
90 minutes to come out. We have 15 minutes to come out and
So we are trying to make sure that we're asking the right
questions. So regardless of the door you enter in. The
appropriate resource gets sent.
Thank you. And we love to collaborate baby. Give you some
feedback around how we can help with that and all these uh
is not an easy task to balance those, uh, those calls to
identify the the level of emergency and the type of
response. So we love to collaborate and do things that this
is a good approach a works and just to finally and I did
those all my questions that I have. I know that we will
have time to talk about the financial sustainability and I
just want to re-emphasize why is important that the state
of Illinois gets engaged in this process and know with the
clinic. We look forward to working specifically with our
high schools around the area making sure that our young
kids have a special, um, you know, and and safe spaces to
come and get the help that they need and that's what we
need this the state actually to look at the ways that help
with the budget which Chicago Public Schools. Um, I know
that the governor has says that he may have a disagreement
with that but I will urge him publicly that neglecting or
dismissing the needs of inadequate funding a CPS. It is
something that uh, I think that the numbers cannot uh, um,
Cannot agree with something like that. I do think it's
important that the governor also jumps in on board
discusses the way to support this financial. It is not only
financially the right thing to do, but ultimately the best
way to respond to the needs in our community. So again
chairman. Rossana Rodriguez Sanchez, I commend you and I
praise you for your leadership to make this a priority and
um and really grateful for all of you to make it happen.
Thank you so much.
Thank you Alderman. Um, I have other man Ramirez Rosa next.
Thank you so much chairwoman. Um, you know, I think this
report is uh, really remarkable. I remember over 10 years
ago when my community was outside of our public mental
health clinic in Logan Square protesting its planned
closure, um, and our community at that point in time did
not succeed in stopping the closure of that clinic. Um, but
that movement that mental health movement led to the
collaborative for Community Wellness led to the council
order you introduced last term and now has led to care
teams throughout the city of Chicago. I'm very eager to see
the expansion of those care teams to Logan Square to orosa
to Irving Park to Avondale to the 14th, 1717 and 25th
police districts. Just the other day. I surveyed business
owners along Milwaukee Avenue to ask them what their needs
were and 1 of the top needs that they identified was
assistance with behavioral needs. They describe people in
distress coming into their businesses, um a number of
incidents and the only tool that is really at their
disposal right now is police and so I think it's critically
important that the recommendations in this report be
implemented that we get to a point in time where we have a
Citywide care team, um, because our communities desperately
need uh these resources. Um, and that is exactly what our
you know cdph Commissioners talking about is that
prevention right and and actually being out in our
communities as the opioid crisis, uh worsens as the Mental
Health crisis,
Is worsens we absolutely need these care teams. So I just
really want to commend our chairwoman. I want to commend
uh, everyone in the mayor's office everyone at cdph. Um,
and especially the collaborative uh for Community Wellness
for all of their work, uh to get us to this point in time.
You know, I look at that budget Gap and I look at the
recommendations in this report and I think it's pretty
clear that we are going to have to uh, look at our
corporate fund, uh to fund this need, uh, this needs to be
1 of the basic functions of government. I think that people
in the city of Chicago have rejected austerity, they
rejected the policies of the past, which said we're going
to cut back on the types of services that we provide to the
most vulnerable people in our neighborhoods, uh, and they
want a different path 1 where we invest in people and I
know that that is 1 of the top concerns and top priorities
for our mayor and for many of my colleagues so I commend
everyone on this report and I hope that we can get it done
and if we don't get it done the people of the city of
Chicago withhold us accountable because they want to see
treatment that trauma fully implemented. Um, so please
Uh count on my support and kind of my community support, uh
to see this through. Thank you. Thank you Alderman, and I
have other woman man, I hope and worth.
Thank you chair. I want to also commend you for all of your
work for keeping this Coalition going and agree with every
word that Alderman Rosa. Just just to point on every single
word. It's so important this work everyone in the box and
all those who could not be here, including our uh Community
leaders who contributed to this outstanding report.
And I also um am very excited to hear about um coordination
across agencies, especially with our libraries.
Our libraries are a community Hub. And um and our
Librarians need the help too. They they can't do all the
work by themselves. Um, so I'm very excited to learn more
about that and of course with our schools of in the 48th
Ward, you know, we have 1 of the most diverse neighborhood
high schools, um with 40 different languages cultural
competencies is absolutely essential in this work. I have
Asian Argyle in the 48th Ward, and and I know that you have
the cares program Pilots, please don't forget all of the
48th Ward, you know, we we um, absolutely are um, we need
help as well. People need help everywhere. No, no matter
what ZIP code they live in in Chicago.
And um, and so I'm I'm very hopeful that you're working to
build off of the cessa ACT, which was really founded by
young people because they
they want to grow up and they want they want their peers to
live. Um, and um, and I'm very glad to know that we are
going to be creating jobs.
um jobs that we can um, bring our young people into and
something that's different that ex that does not exist
right now, which is an alternative to to police.
Um in the 48th Ward, we have 2 police districts.
Um, perhaps they might be um,
1 of the safest districts in Chicago
And yet again we still have needs.
um, I want to
tell you that our commanders they have been terrific. Um,
we're going to get to New commanders women, which I'm
really excited about. Um, but you know, we were talking
about our 911 reports.
And number 2 is um calls because of domestic violence.
And so I I'm very interested in how how 911998 you know,
how how is it that our offices can be helpful?
in um working with our caps, you know our community
policing, um leaders and also our commanders to you know to
to let them know that this is in the works. Um, because I
think that there there does need to be a lot of um
education across not only our agencies, but also, um, our
officers are on the ground,
Um because they they can help also, um explain, you know,
the direction that we're moving in. So, is there anyone
that can you know speak on how how we working with police
officers and training we talked about how everyone should
have the same kind of training so that we can um understand
who who you know who's best to point to in in any moment.
What what wherever they are in the spectrum of need.
Yes, I can actually speak to the can I just say really quick
that 1 of the things that have been the most remarkable
about the model that is being built is that there is no
wrong door the no wrong door approach, um is great because
it doesn't matter where the call comes through there is
going to be helped send right? Um, so yes Noreen you can
you can you can expand on that, but I did want it to
mention that because I don't think that I have heard it.
it was explained and I I want to make sure that that is a
very a simple way to explain where we're coming from with
this model. Yeah. Thank you chairwoman. I think just
building off of that, um 1 of the community input that we
really prioritize within our um, mental health system
mental health system expansion working group model was from
domestic violence organizations. And so that is actually 1
that is named within the working group ordinance in
addition.
To that what we did was we took this report and the
recommendations and we did actually share that with some of
our DV organizations our gbv organizations. Um, really
understood from them like what are their priorities and
where would they like to see what you were describing as
like growing this responder model? Um, I'll ask, um, you
know cdph to maybe add on a little bit more around that
so in an effort to get over this divide the work will come
in the space of a lot of partnering with uh, the the beats
off beat officers and helping them to understand what tools
they have available to them in their resource kit such as
The CARE program as we've mentioned, um, as is mentioned in
the report and Ally mentioned in the creation of specialty
teams, and so the care team in and of itself is a crisis
response team, but we've learned that crisis sees are very
nuanced and with our uh, Partners within oemc learning the
various call types. And so knowing what the what the nature
of a call is and what goes into a specific call type and
then understanding the lag time and what happens when you
actually get there being able to have the relationship with
CPD for them to call us to come and assist them in these
situations where they are truly not equipped but knowing
that our team
Has this training so my clinicians have 40 hour, um
domestic violence training. So they're equipped to go to
the to these calls. We have as Alicia mentioned, uh, our
clinicians all have different Specialties within their
practices. And so we have clinicians who specialty maybe
youth we have other clinicians whose specialty maybe those
with um,
intellectual disabilities and we certainly have clinicians
who have uh training within this particular space of
gender-based violence and so being able to pull these
resources and then go to present to CPD and say when you
call for the care team use this language so we know who
we're sending or we know what to pull out of our tool bag
to be able to meet the client's needs right there and then
right then and there on the spot, but the goal is to be
able to marry the call type to the need of the person and
the care team having exactly the deescalate the individual
through that crisis in the moment, but more importantly the
resources on the back end to be able to get that individual
the help. They need post crisis to keep them from going
back into crisis. So the cycle that we're trying to prevent
touches on Dr. E gaze point of prevention while we're doing
intervention at the same time.
Yes, um, I I will add I will just give you a scenario. Um,
I think 1 of the biggest challenges that we have is people
understanding which situation is a behavioral health
situation.
Um, so we had an incident where there is someone who is
threatening community members.
um
now the challenge is is this threat real is that person
having a moment or is that person really a danger?
Now to be able to discern that requires a level of skill.
Um, that is not always readily present. So the initial
Authority is if I'm threatening to stop someone then you
call in the PD because if you're going to stop someone then
symbol e or a clinician cannot stop that um, and so if PD
gets there and they assess and say oh this person really is
a danger what they will do is take this person away.
but then after a few days the person comes back and the
cycle continues now, you need a clinician to be able to
assess and say this person really has a behavioral health
issue and this intervention is not going to really provide
a lasting solution. Now, this is our vision that even in
such instances that
cdph can help and support
even when it's a PD case to help them really identify that
this cycle of things that you're seeing is a is a
behavioral health issue and we could support now if it's
domestic violence our weapons involved is this person
really a threat, um in what instance can a Behavioral
Health crisis clinician support the intervention in a way
that is long-lasting.
And are there situations for instance? Where is a very
low-risk this person just needs food. They're out on the
street acting out because all they need is food and all
they need is a warm bed. Now does CDP create crisis team
need to be out in short instance can a 5990 team, you know
help this person get connected to a neighborhood resource.
So this is our vision that regard there is a more refined
process of identifying, uh, where the behavioral health
Team can support and that regardless of what algorithm
we're using a behavioral health Team can and may be a help.
Even if it's a pdk so our vision, is that kind of
spectrum of support
from 590 to maybe domestic violence to maybe even um
you know something that will traditionally be a PD case
because there there might be a behavioral health component
that will be
Helpful to have someone seen to even hate crimes we get some
of those referrals to us and we're able to assess and say,
you know, you keep going back to this person. Maybe there's
a behavioral health component. Let's tag along and help you
see if we can do something about it. So these are some of
the ways that we are challenging our teams to be a bit
creative and not be too restricted in terms of what calls
were responding to and how uh, so that's our vision that we
will be able to you know, expand this work to provide real
response to the needs on the ground regardless of how they
come to us and even beyond the traditional categories.
Of of need. Yeah.
Thank you. Thank you so much. And I I just want to um to
your point about testimony would love to collect stories of
successes that we have had because I think it's important
for especially women to see that there are is a system
that's being built.
That includes them.
Especially for those who uh whose English is not their
first language or they're not citizens. They just don't
feel comfortable calling 911 and they're they're just to
needs to be more of an awareness about what we're doing and
would love to help you spread the word. So thank you cheer.
Thank you everyone for being here in this incredible
report. I'm very hopeful
Thank you. Thank you. Uh, thank you so much everybody. This
was a beautiful hearing. Um, I I am very proud of the work
that we have all done together and I'm looking forward to
continuing this work and bringing it to committee.
Um with there being no further business. Can I get a motion
to adjourn?
Uh Elder woman and I hope and worth so moves here. No
objections. So order the committee on health and human
relations. This meeting is now adjourned.