A MENTAL HEALTH NEWSLETTER FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
 

Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis A United Way Agency

In this issue . . .

John J. McAtee

Since 1987, the Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis has formally recognized police officers who have shown concern and compassion toward an individual with mental illness.  In 1989, this act of recognition was officially named the John J. McAtee Award.  Over the years, more than 300 officers have been recognized. Who is John J. McAtee and why does the award bear his name?

John J. McAtee became an attorney in St. Louis in 1930, and was a lawyer until his death in 1995.  Shortly after becoming an attorney, Mr. McAtee held the office of president of the Bar Association.  In 1932, he became the youngest judge in the State of Missouri.  Ten years later, McAtee joined the United States Navy.  Upon his return, he resumed his legal practice and served as St. Louis County Counselor from 1950 until 1954.

During his career, John J. McAtee served on numerous boards of directors for agencies that assisted people in need.  Most notably, he dedicated much of his time as an advocate on behalf of persons suffering from mental illness.  His dedication to upholding the law, his interaction with law enforcement and the court system, and his compassion for persons with mental illness was the driving force behind the creation of an award bearing his name.

Nominations are now being accepted for consideration for the 18^th annual John J. McAtee Award.  Recipients will be honored on May 25, 2004 at the Orlando Gardens Banquet Center, 8352 Watson Road.  Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer will deliver the keynote address.  Sheriff Boyer continues the long tradition of prestigious keynote speakers which includes St. Louis City Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Chief of Police Col. Ron Battelle; St. Louis City Chiefs of Police Ronald Henderson, Clarence Harmon, and Joseph Mokwa; Edward L. Dowd, Jr., United States Attorney; Wiley D. Thompson, III, FBI; Roger Wilson, Lt. Governor; and Missouri First Lady, Lori Hauser Holden.

Sheriff Glenn Boyer

Click here to nominate an officer or attend the luncheon to honor fellow officers.  The presentation of awards is one of many events planned for May, which is recognized nationally as Mental Health Month.

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By Jim House, Executive Director, Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis Jim is active in statewide advocacy efforts to improve the funding and delivery of mental health services.

As Police Officers, you need to be concerned about how state budgets and legislation can make your job more difficult and dangerous. 

At the time of this writing, proposals are before the budget committee to impose managed care for mental health treatment and prior authorization for psychotropic medications in the Medicaid program.

Several states have already gone to a managed care system.  I will give you two examples of how this will affect YOU.  In Tennessee, when the state moved to a managed care system, the Federal Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) found that 60,000 people in the state community mental health system completely lost their care.   

HCFA also reported that when Montana switched to managed care:

1)     Inpatient days dropped by 96%
2)     Residential services dropped 85%
3)     Partial hospitalization dropped 45%
4)     Intensive outpatient services dropped 25%
5)     Outpatient visits declined by 76%

As you can see from these examples, this could equate to several thousand people in the St. Louis area losing care and treatment - and that most definitely WILL impact your job as a police officer.

Prior authorization for psychotropic medications could also cause you to be put at risk.  At the very least, you will be answering more calls for people who have had medication denied or changed, and whose mental condition has deteriorated to the point that they come to your attention.

You, as police officers, have State Representatives and State Senators. You need to make your views known to them.  The continued cutting of budgets affects YOU.

You can obtain your legislators’ contact info by calling the League of Women Voters at 314-961-6869 or visiting www.senate.state.mo.us, then clicking on Legislator Lookup.

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St. Patrick Center is the largest provider of homeless services in Missouri with 19 programs serving over 10,000 persons annually who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.   

•         1,400 jobs secured in 2003

•         Over 120,000 hot meals provided

•         1,700 veterans served with the dignity they deserve

•         Over 1,000 clients with an addiction or mental illness brought into a brighter and more productive lifestyle

•         Hundreds of clients enrolled in living skills, employment and GED classes

•         Children cared for as their parents pursue the training they need to qualify for a better job 

These are the permanent, positive changes that we accomplish in partnership with the community.   

Emergency Programs

St. Patrick Center provides emergency services to persons with mental illness who are living on the streets. We strive to build trusting relationships to help them move from the streets to receive mainstream services, including hot, nutritious meals, served every day of the year.  We help families living in poverty in existing housing to overcome housing crises through utility or rent payments and clothing, food, bus tickets and household goods.

•                   Mobile Outreach

•                   Casserole Program

•                   Neighborhood Support
   

Intake & Assessment Program

On a client’s first visit to the Partnership Center, an Intake Counselor performs a comprehensive assessment of the client’s needs, captures critical information and evaluates emergency needs.  The Counselor makes service referrals to St. Patrick Center programs or partner agencies based upon the information gained. 

Stabilization Programs

St. Patrick Center provides programs to stabilize homeless people experiencing mental illness and/or substance abuse issues― with an environment that offers clients hot meals and a safe, warm, and dry place to rest and/or to receive services.   Through these programs they start to make a commitment to work on personal goals, benefits assistance, psychiatric assessment, job training, employment and housing. 

•                   Shamrock Day Program

•                   Substance Abuse Treatment Program

•                   Women’s Night Program

•                   Rosati Transitional Living Center 2003

•                   Child Drop-in Center

•                   Shamrock Evening Program  

Education Programs

Unemployed and under-employed individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless receive advanced work-skills training to enable them to support their homes and families.   Individuals learn parenting and living skills that support their move to permanent housing and self-sufficiency.  Classes are taught in shelters, community agencies and at St. Patrick Center.  Adult Basic Education classes help clients improve reading, writing and math skills. 

•                   Job Skills Training

•                   Independent Living Skills

•                   ABE/GED

Employment Programs

Homeless and near-homeless people receive assistance in finding and retaining full-time employment which will lead to permanent housing.  This program works as an employment agency, with no fee to the employer or to the applicant.  McMurphy’s Grill is the first restaurant training program in the nation for homeless, mentally ill clients.  Homeless veterans learn job-readiness skills to enable them to secure and retain full-time employment and housing. Transportation subsidies, including bus tickets, are frequently made available to newly employed St. Patrick Center clients to ease the challenge of finding transportation to their jobs. 

•                   Homeless Employment Program

•                   McMurphy’s Grill

•                   Veterans’ Employment Program

•                   Transportation Assistance Program  

Housing Programs

St. Patrick Center helps newly employed individuals and their families find and retain market-rate housing.  Along with living skills training, clients receive housing counseling and 12 months of declining rental subsidies. Clients who successfully participate in Living Skills and Employment programs are eligible for housing support.

•                   Operation Independent Housing

•                   Housing Support Program  

Partnership Center (Partner Agencies)

•                   Catholic Commission on Housing      

•                   Legal Services of Eastern Missouri       

•                   St. Louis Public Schools – ABE/GED

•                   Grace Hill Health Services       

•                   Logan Chiropractic Clinic

•                   Missouri Veterans’ Commission

•                   Housing Resource Center        

•                   St. Louis Community College   

•                   Missouri Career Works Workforce Development 

St. Patrick Center, located at 800 North Tucker in downtown St. Louis, also serves non-city residents. To make a referral or to learn more information about the many services at St. Patrick Center, call 314-802-0700.

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Homeless People are Not All the Same

By Amanda Briggs.  Amanda has been working with homeless youth as the Admissions Coordinator for Youth Emergency Services for 4 years.

6816 Washington Avenue, University City, MO 63130, (314) 727-6294

Homeless youth are individuals under the age of 18 who lack parental, foster or institutional care.  According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the homeless youth population is estimated to be approximately 300,000 young people each year.  Homeless children are by most accounts among the fastest growing segments of the homeless population. There are many causes for homelessness among youth, but all generally fall into three inter-related categories: 1) Family problems 2) Economic problems 3) Residential instability.     

A study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that the majority of runaway and homeless youth had been physically and/or sexually abused in the home.  Parental neglect, a family member’s addiction and strained relationships are principle causes of homelessness among youth.   

Economic problems cause many youth to become homeless with their families.  Lack of affordable housing, limited employment opportunities and insufficient wages all contribute to financial crisis for families resulting in homelessness.  Youth often become separated from their families during these times due to shelter and child welfare policies.   

Residential instability also contributes to homelessness among youth.  Studies show that youth in foster care are more likely to become homeless at an earlier age.  Some youth aging out of foster care systems are released with no housing or support.   

Homeless youth benefit from services that meet their immediate basic needs including food, shelter and emotional support.  First basic needs are met and then other aspects of the youth’s life can be addressed such as family situations, school and employment.  Youth Emergency Service is an emergency shelter program for youth who are in need of immediate shelter in homeless or crisis situations. 

Youth Emergency Service (YES) is the Crisis Care Program of Epworth Children & Family Services.  YES serves homeless and runaway youth, males and females, between the ages of 11 and 17 years old.  Youth can be admitted to YES 24-hours a day, 7 days a week on a first-come first-served basis.  YES provides an immediate safe place to stay, food, clothing and counseling.  YES also operates a 24-hour Helpline for crisis counseling, referral information or placement in our shelter. 

Other programs offered include Transitional Living and Independent Living Programs for youth ages 16 to 21.  Youth in state custody, and those who are not, can be eligible for these programs.  Please use the contact information for Youth Emergency Service to access these programs.  

For admission to Youth Emergency Service (YES) 24-hours a day, please call our Helpline at 314-727-6294 or 1-800-899-KIDS.   

Youth In Need Provides Services to Young People

By Greg Wies, Senior Director of Community Relations, Youth In Need. Greg has been with Youth In Need for 11 years.  He has been a youth resident counselor, the case manager for the Transitional Living and Family Court Diversion programs before transitioning to the agency's early childhood programs. He currently oversees volunteers, parent involvement, fatherhood, donations and community education.

Believing in the strength and potential of every child, youth, and family, Youth In Need’s mission is to support individuals and families in achieving their goals and in building a positive future. The organization was founded in 1974 in response to the plight of runaway and homeless youth, who at the time were simply taken to the local jail and housed alongside adult inmates.  What began as a single youth shelter has expanded greatly over the past 30 years.  Today, Youth In Need offers over 50 direct-service programs from St. Louis City westward to Montgomery County, serving the greater St. Louis metropolitan area and East-Central Missouri. 

Youth In Need provides a variety services for young people and their families, including several residential programs.

• Emergency Shelter is a short-term residence for young people ages 10 to 18 who are experiencing crisis.
• Teen Parent program provides community and in-school support and counseling to help teen parents and expectant teens to complete their education. 
• Transitional Living Program offers a place where homeless youth ages 16 to 21 can learn independent living skills and work to complete their education. 
• Cornerstone home provides a therapeutic, nurturing residence to nine adolescent females ages 12 to 19 with backgrounds of serious abuse and neglect.

For pre-school aged children, Youth In Need offers Early Head Start and Head Start services.  This program is a comprehensive child-development/family-development program for income-eligible families with children from birth to age five as well as expectant parents. Youth In Need has Early Head Start and Head Start projects in the counties of St. Charles, Lincoln, Warren, and Montgomery and is one of five organizations providing Head Start services in the City of St. Louis. This project helps children and families to achieve their full potential by furnishing them with comprehensive health, nutritional, educational, and social services. 

For more information on Youth In Need, please call 636-946-0101 or visit www.youthinneed.org.

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Roll Call

By Shannon Shelley, MSW LCSW. Shannon has worked as a crisis intervention counselor and is currently the Training and Community Education Coordinator at Behavioral Health Response.

In July 2003, Behavioral Health Response (BHR) with assistance from Black Jack Communications and St. Louis County Police Department released Roll Call, a police officer training video.  This video is a training tool for police officers in the Eastern Region of Missouri (St. Louis City, and the counties of St Louis, Jefferson, Franklin, St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren).  Roll Call educates police officers about BHR services and how to utilize them in their daily work.  This will give the police officers a resource to call when they encounter someone in a mental health crisis. 

Officers learn how and when to use BHR’s 24/7 crisis services when dealing with a person with mental illness.  In addition to phone assistance, BHR can dispatch mobile outreach counselors when appropriate.  These counselors will come to the police station or to the person’s house where assistance is needed to devise an appropriate treatment plan for the person in question.  This can shorten the time needed to deal with these situations and free the officers to respond to other calls. 

Roll Call was sent out to all police departments.  Please contact Shannon Shelley at BHR, 314-628-6214, if you did not receive your video.  As Training and Community Education Coordinator, I am also available to be present during Roll Call to answer any questions on how to utilize BHR services or mental health related questions.  Many police departments have found this information helpful.  Together, BHR and police officers can make a difference in the lives of people with mental illness.

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P.O.S.T. Approved Training

The Mental Health Association of Greater St. Louis will provide Recognizing and Dealing with Persons with Mental Illness on the following dates at various locations. The purpose of the training is to provide information and skills that will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of interactions with persons who have chronic mental illness. All offerings are P.O.S.T. approved for 7 hours of Continuing Education credit. All are sponsored by the St. Louis County & Municipal Police Academy. Please contact the Academy at 314-889-8600 to register. 

The training will provide:

• overview of symptoms associated with chronic mental illness
• cultural, youth and elderly concerns
• medications and reasons for non-compliance
• communication strategies
• legal issues and Involuntary Commitment statutes
• community resources

Dates and locations

• Thursday, June 17 – Ellisville Police Dept.; 8:00am – 4:00pm
• Wednesday, June 23 – STL County & Municipal Police Academy; 8:00am – 4:00pm
• Wednesday, June 30 – St. Peters Police Dept.; 9:00am – 5:00pm

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Open Mind is a column produced by the Mental Health Association, which appears weekly in many Suburban Journals.  Click here for the reprint above and access to the entire Open Mind Archive on this website.

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We have archived past issues of Street Talk on this website.  All back issues also include a Mental Health Directory and a link to a relevant Open Mind column.

January, 2004

• CIT: Safety, Understanding, and Service
• Street Tips: When Someone is "Acting Strangely."
• CIT: Training Makes it Happen
• Law in Action: Jail Diversion Program
• Do You Know? Obesity
• Q&A: Criteria for Involuntary Commitment
• At Your Service: Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital

October 2002

July 2002

April 2002

Following is a dated index of previous articles that have appeared in Street Talk.  To get a copy of any article or a previous issue, please call LaDonna Haley at 314-773-1399.

"It Worked for Me" (Officer Gorman)

Holiday blues vs. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

What should I know about Bipolar Disorder?

"When it finally hit home – part 1" (FBI agent Burt Jensen)

Public policy, mental health, your work

Liability issues for officers and departments

In the Limelight: Hazelwood PD

At Your Service: St. Patrick Center

I’d like you to know (helpful hints)

Dealing with frequent callers

"When it finally hit home – part 2" (FBI agent Burt Jensen)

Officer and Department of the year awards

At Your Service: Provident Counseling

Q&A: All about EAP’s

Know your mental health options

What does confidentiality really mean?

Rethinking our strategies (John Bozarth)

Anger management

Helping peers in distress

In the Limelight: Ballwin and Hazelwood PD’s

January 2002

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