Berkeley May Add More Mental Health Services

BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley city councilmembers will consider asking the county at its meeting tonight to add 20 more places to its outpatient mental health treatment program, with 10 places designated for the city alone, city officials said.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and the issue is No. 16 on the regular meeting agenda.

A letter to the council on the issue was written by councilmembers Linda Maio and Sophie Hahn and Mayor Jessie Arreguin.

Alameda County has 30 places for patients of the Assisted Outpatient Treatment program, which aims to help mental health patients function more successfully in the community.

The patients eligible for the program would come through the court system, where a judge can order a person into treatment.

The letter to the council said that because the order comes from a judge and the program offers intensive services, it has had a positive success rate.

Intensive services, along with housing and the judge's order, often results in a person taking necessary medication and functioning better within a year.

The letter said although there are not many people in Berkeley who are mentally ill and a danger to themselves or others, the few who are pose a threat to public safety and affect the city's quality of life.

Designating 10 places for people from Berkeley will result in fewer crises in the city and greater public safety and public health, according to the letter.

— Bay City News; Image via Patch Archive