Californians with serious mental health disorders and substance abuse problems may soon be ordered by a judge to get treatment.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation enacting CARE Court this week. It codifies a process for court-ordered treatment for those suffering from severe mental illness.
“My son has spent more time in jail and prison than he ever has in a hospital and he is an ideal candidate for something such as a CARE Court,” said Anita Fisher.
Fisher's son Pharoh, a former medic in the U.S. Army, has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and has undergone treatment off and on for years.
“When he stops his medication there’s usually a deterioration and he’s not aware that he’s in need of mental health care and that leads to homelessness, self-medicating with street drugs and alcohol,” Fisher said. “He has also been arrested.”
Fisher worked for the San Diego Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and has been advocating for CARE Court. She even shared her story during a meeting with Gov. Newsom.
“I know there is definitely opposition to it (CARE Court) because of rights, but my son has no rights in jail or prison either,” Fisher said. “So I would rather that he be temporarily, involuntarily treated in some manner so that he can again be able to lead his own life the way he wants, but during this time he cannot.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria was there Wednesday when Newsom signed the bill into law.
“No other issue I hear more about than this one,” he said. “Potholes, traffic, climate change — we're still dealing with a pandemic everybody, this is what people are prioritizing.”
San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said he thinks CARE Court is a missing tool to help get people vital care.
“We have to put it in context,” Fletcher said. "This is only going to help the most serious and severe individuals. There’s a small population of those on the street. It is a useful tool but CARE Court is not going to sweep up everyone who is unsheltered into court-ordered treatment or services.”
Family members, first responders, clinicians and hospital staff are among those who could recommend someone for CARE Court. It has to be up and running in San Diego County by October 2023. Fletcher said the county hopes to start the program by next summer.
“It will go into effect Jan. 1 but it really doesn’t become operational until July 1 of next year,” Fletcher said. “So all of our preparations have honestly been underway well before the bill even passed and we will continue that in earnest into the July timeframe where we expect that the first few folks to begin going through the court process and have treatment mandated for them.”
The governor’s office said CARE Court will focus on those with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders as well as substance abuse challenges. San Diego is among several counties, including Glenn, Orange, Riverside, Stanislaus, Tuolumne and San Francisco, that are tasked with implementing CARE Court before the rest of the state.
“I thought it was important for our county to be on the forefront saying, ‘Look not only do we support this but we want to go first,’" Fletcher said. “Because even though it’s a little unsettling and a little difficult to be the first to implement something new, the net result is San Diegans are going to get the positive impacts and outcomes of CARE Court before any other large county in California.”
-
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the CARE court program into law this week. We speak with a mental health advocate with a personal connection to the issue about how CARE courts might help people like her son.
