SATURDAY JUNE 29 2019
CENTREDAILY.COM
Where are the gaps in Centre
County’s mental health
system? Residents speak out
BY MARLEY PARISH
mparish@centredaily.com
BELLEFONTE
During Thursday’s men-
tal health conversation,
State College resident
Vernon Davis said those
battling mental illness need
a voice — a voice that more
than 30 other speakers
tried to provide by sharing
their own experiences.
While Davis and his wife
try to advocate for their
son, he said, those without
advocates are not being
helped by Pennsylvania’s
“broken system.”
When he and his wife
wanted to send their son to
a psychiatrist at an in-
patient treatment facility,
he said, they were met with
a four-month waiting list.
When they wanted to know
more information about
their son’s treatment, they
were halted by red tape
created by the Health In-
surance Portability and
Accountability Act.
During Thursday’s event,
residents highlighted what
they see as the gaps within
the state and county’s
mental health services
systems, saying that Penn-
sylvania has done a dis-
service to its residents who
are in need of proper care
and treatment facilities.
“We have a broken sys-
tem that’s going to take
people from all over ... to be
able to combat it to defeat it
because this is just terrible,”
Davis said. “The way we’re
treating people with mental
health is terrible. They need
a voice, and I tell you what,
you’ll have my voice. What
FROM PAGE 1A
SHOOTING
who has yet to be named,”
Higgins said, saying that
the official response has
been ineffective and law
enforcement is unwilling to
cooperate.
During a community
meeting following Centre
County District Attorney
Bernie Cantorna’s release
of the investigative report
that determined police
officers were justified in
their use of deadly force,
Cantorna called for the
creation of a task force to
examine potential improve-
ments for Pennsylvania’s
mental health system,
including the county’s
system and the “302” men-
tal health warrant process.
State College Borough
Council also announced at
its April 15 meeting its
intent to form a task force
specifically aimed at ad-
dressing issues of mental
health services in Centre
County, as well as inclu-
sion, equity and diversity.
That task force is intended
to pick up where a previous
collaboration with Penn
State left off in 2016.
“A task force does noth-
ing if there’s not the wil-
lingness to do something,”
Higgins said. “There al-
ready was a task force
before Osaze was killed
(that) did nothing. … If
there’s no power behind it,
it’s irrelevant.”
Community groups that
formed after Osagie’s
death have also called for
the names of the involved
officers to be released.
“How can anyone in this
room believe for even a
second that there’s going to
be some sort of change (or)
accountability unless you
tell us who did it and
charge that person?” Hig-
gins said, gesturing to po-
lice officers who were pre-
sent in the Courthouse
Annex.
Representatives from the
state and county mental
health services offices
explained the struggle to
find funding for treatment
facilities and staffing, but
Higgins suggested funding
Vernon Davis shares his frustration with the mental health system Thursday at a
community forum hosted by the Centre County Board of Commissioners.
I’ve seen is wrong.”
Reflecting on his experi-
ence with in-patient treat-
ment facilities, Davis said
he thinks facilities are
understaffed and over-
burdened — a common
opinion shared by speakers
who recounted similar
stories about facilities
throughout the state.
Dealing with issues of
confidentiality, affordabil-
ity and transparency, resi-
dents said they’re con-
cerned about the care those
with mental illness receive
— if any at all. Concerns
were also raised about a
lack of resources, lack of
protection and a lack of
effort aimed to address
these mental health issues.
“You know where they
can probably get the most
help is where they don’t
for law enforcement offices
be reallocated to improving
the mental health systems.
“The cops have the
money for it. Take it from
them,” Higgins said.
Melanie Morrison refer-
enced the district attor-
ney’s report and said the
State College community
will never see justice be-
cause the officers involved
were exonerated.
“We didn’t ask for an-
other task force,” Morrison
said. “We asked for a com-
munity oversight and re-
view board that would be
able to plug in and take
what the community has as
concerns and be able to
turn that into actionable
change and accountabil-
ity.”
The task force, Morrison
said, is not a proper solu-
tion.
Yamina Cunningham, a
friend of Osagie’s, suggest-
ed the mental health and
“302” warrant system
needs to be evaluated.
Cunningham asked for
officers not to be permitted
to cover a door’s peephole
while serving a warrant,
saying officers add addi-
tional stress to the situation
by appearing unan-
nounced. Cunningham
asked what happened in
the seconds before police
shot Osagie and said it is
her hope for communities
to be able to trust and feel
comfortable around police.
Guns, Cunningham said,
should not be brought
while serving a mental
health warrant.
Others at the meeting
pointed to the role of race
in the shooting, which the
DA’s investigative report
determined was not a fac-
tor in the officer’s decision
to use deadly force.
Commissioner Michael
Pipe said Centre County
officers are committed to
becoming better trained in
crisis intervention, saying
that more individuals will
go through the program.
“We’ve had many offi-
cers who have gone
through that program who
Mina Linda speaks about her concerns during Thursday’s
community conversation about mental health services in
Centre County.
need to go, and that’s (SCI)
Rockview,” Davis said.
“We have traded one for
the other. We have traded
the incarceration with the
Evan Higgins speaks about his desire for police accountability Thursday during the Centre County Board of
Commissioners’ hosted community conversation about mental health services in Centre County.
have successfully de-esca-
lated (situations),” Pipe
said. “So, we know that
program works.”
State College operates
with a “short-term memo-
ry,” Lorraine Jones said.
She said the intersectional-
ity of mental health and
race should be considered
when making legislative
and legal changes.
Pipe and Commissioner
Mark Higgins said officials
will be working with neigh-
boring communities, peo-
ple with lived experience
and experts in order to
ensure the task force is
properly trained and in-
formed of racial and men-
tal health issues.
Once the State College
borough task force has
been formed, Pipe said its
members will work closely
with law enforcement and
the mental health services
office. In addition to in-
creased training, he said,
he hopes to have seen posi-
tive change occur within
the county within a year.
‘‘
THE WAY WE’RE
TREATING PEOPLE
WITH MENTAL
HEALTH IS
TERRIBLE. THEY
NEED A VOICE,
AND I TELL YOU
WHAT, YOU’LL HAVE
MY VOICE. WHAT
I’VE SEEN IS
WRONG.
Vernon Davis
should not be in there.”
Rebecca Shepski has lived
in State College for seven
years. Before moving to the
county, she worked as a
case manager in Australia.
Shepski said she sees “a lot
of gaps” in Centre County’s
mental health system.
“You’re talking about
ABBY DREY adrey@centredaily.com continuity of care, but
you’re talking about people
who are unwell and unable
to advocate for their own
health care, so you’re put-
ting all of the expectation on
the person to go and get a
service, and they’re too
disorganized to do it,” Shep-
ski said. “The burden needs
to be on you to go out and
engage the person.”
Shepski urged officials to
advocate for laws that
allow mental health profes-
sionals to act in ways nec-
essary before it’s too late.
“You’ve created a system
where you’re asking for
crisis,” Shepski said.
ABBY DREY adrey@centredaily.com “You’re saying in order to
provide care for you, you
have to be in crisis.”
Saying Pennsylvania is
about two decades behind
in its mental health legisla-
mental health, and at tion, Shepski also asked
Rockview, they have a officials to recognize that
whole entire ward full of not everyone is capable to
people who are suffering consent on their own.
with mental health that “The person can’t actively
PENN STATE EXTENSION
MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM
ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
Penn State Extension in Centre County is now accepting
applications for the 2019 Penn State Extension Master Gardener
program training class.
This program consists of a volunteer training course designed to
provide experienced home gardeners with information and skills
necessary to share their experience and knowledge with others.
WEEKLY CLASSES WILL BE HELD FROM
AUGUST 27 TO DECEMBER 3, 2019, FEE OF $300.00
Applications are being accepted through July 5, 2019.
Information sessions for volunteer candidates will be held
on July 9th and 23rd. For more information please contact
the Centre County Penn State Extension office located at
420 Holmes Street, Bellefonte, PA, 16823, CALL 814-355-4897,
or email MOLLY STURNIOLO at mas79@psu.edu.
News 3A
get (care) themselves be-
cause the nature of the
illness prevents people from
recognizing they’re sick,”
Shepski said, adding that
HIPAA prevents family
members from helping,
especially in situations when
someone struggling with
mental illness is asked to
sign consent before receiv-
ing treatment. “We’re not
putting the person first.
We’re putting the legal
protection of hospitals first,
and that’s a problem.”
Anya Lazero, a State
College resident, said she
lived in a community resi-
dential rehab, an envi-
ronment for people with
mental health issues. While
there, Lazero said she was
able to learn skills that
helped her better adjust to
society in a supportive
environment. But in CRRs,
there’s a time limit before
residents have to transition
elsewhere. This timed
structure does not work for
everyone, Lazero said,
suggesting some CRR beds
be transitional and others
be more permanent.
“When you live in a CRR,
you have access to staff
24/7,” Lazero said. “When
you move out, you are limit-
ed. I feel this is when you
need more support.”
No matter what someone
is dealing with, Lazero and
other attendees said the
county and state need to
find better ways to support
and care for people strug-
gling with mental illness.
Natalie Corman, human
resources administrator and
director of Centre County’s
mental health office, said
Lazero’s suggestions were
exactly what the system
needs to address.
“We are like you guys,”
Lazero said. “We want a
roof over our heads, food
to eat, clothes to wear and
maybe employment. All in
all, we need to have each
others’ back. If not us, then
who will? Our county
should be like a family, not
a broken family.”
ABBY DREY adrey@centredaily.com