Time to Rectify Neglect

Mental health programs have long been neglected in San Diego County. The county ranks 53rd among the state’s 58 counties in per capita state financing for mental health, and care at the county’s mental health hospital has been severely criticized.

The problem reached crisis proportions last summer when the state threatened to close the county’s mental health hospital in Hillcrest because of patient abuse, poor record-keeping and inadequate treatment.

This month the state said the hospital is in danger of losing federal Medicare and state Medi-Cal funds because record-keeping still does not meet minimum standards.

During these same years of mental health neglect, a proposal to establish an outpatient treatment program for mentally ill criminals was rejected by the county Board of Supervisors. Now, San Diego County is the only urban area in California without such a program. This means that when psychiatrists decide that mentally ill criminals are ready for release from a state mental hospital, a judge is forced to either release them with no supervision and follow-up treatment, or put them in jail.

It took state action to force the county to improve its mental hospital. It is also the state that is forcing a solution to the problem of outpatient care of mentally ill criminals.

A law effective Jan. 1 mandates that either the county or the state set up an outpatient program at state expense. State officials and the county health department staff say they believe that such a county program would be most effective and give the county control of who is paroled here. We agree.

The mentally ill will not go away by ignoring them. They will have a greater chance for recovery, and the people of San Diego County will be safer, if mentally ill criminals are supervised and treated for their illnesses.

Last week the county took a step in the right direction when the Board of Supervisors agreed to apply for state funds to provide hospital care in North County for people with psychiatric problems who are arrested.

Next month, the board could take another step toward reversing the years of neglect by approving the outpatient program for mentally ill criminals.