Commissioner Jeff Ownby sun shined a meeting today – roughly 193 hours ahead of time.
Heh. Take that! (If you know not what I'm talking about, then you should have seen yesterday's county commission meeting debate about publicly noticing meetings.)
Anyhoo, Jeff has scheduled a meeting with employees and residents to talk about the closure of Lakeshore Mental Heath Facility. (Lakeshore is in his commission district.) The meeting is set for next Wednesday (that's Nov. 30 for you) at 5 p.m. At West High School.
Here's a story (click right smack here) by Sentinel reporter Kristi Nelson about Lakeshore.
Jeff said that some employees called him, hoping he could set something up with the City Council, County Commission and the two mayors. (Cause he's the freakin' man.) He said he couldn't guarantee they'd be there, but he'd put out the word.
(Last week, the folks met with state lawmakers. I'm sure we wrote about it, but I don't read our paper, so . . . .)
“It's a big hit,” Ownby said. “It's close to 400 jobs that will be gone. And the patients – the ones who can't be treated elsewhere – will end up on the streets.”
Well, that's what happens when people decide to cut costs at the expense of quality mental health care and public safety. Er, that's what I read on a blog somewhere, anyway.
And if it's on a blog, folks. Then it's got to be true.
Heh.
Everyone across the County and City are welcome to come and voice their concerns on this matter.
ReplyDeleteThe closure of Lakeshore will effect every citizen in this County.
"...And the patients – the ones who can't be treated elsewhere – will end up on the streets.”"
ReplyDeleteI applaud your growing awareness of the links between mental illness, treatment, and residence "on the streets," Commissioner Owenby.
Some people recognized these connections before you did and tried to hip you to some proven solutions an election or so ago.
I don't expect you're on your way to becoming an advocate of supportive housing in the community for our local crazies, but you may be waking up to the idea that those big institutions like what Lakeshore was are a relic.
I call that progress.