Pleas for reform heard at Jax mental health roundtable

As headlines across the state continue to pile up, documenting the horror show that is Florida’s mental health system of care, state Reps. Janet Adkins and Charles McBurney listened somberly to a litany of problems – and proposed solutions – at a public forum Monday at Jacksonville City Hall looking at the issue.

The Community Mental Health Roundtable, convened by Adkins, featured a panel of experts and community members telling story after story of how gaps in the system are failing the state’s mentally ill and addicted.

“The need for reform has life-or-death consequences,” Adkins told the group as the session began. “Mental health reform is a priority for the 2016 legislative session,” she assured the gathering.

Indeed, McBurney, who was also on hand and chairs the House Judiciary Committee, shared details of his proposed legislation, HB 439, that would bring about a series of fixes to how those with mental health issues are treated in Florida’s criminal justice system. They range from creating treatment-based mental health county courts and programs to expanding the definition of veterans, providing them more eligibility for treatment. There is also a juvenile component to the measure.

All of it was warmly received by the attendees.

Perhaps the most emotional story came from Jacksonville’s Jonathan Harriford. The Harriford family’s tragic story speaks profoundly to the need for reform, advocates say. Harriford’s younger brother, 29-year-old Henry “Sean” Harriford, is schizophrenic. Police say he killed their mother, 59-year-old Janette Harriford, in October 2014.

The murder happened after years of Sean being confined via the Baker Act, then released, 17 times. Under the statute a person at risk of harming oneself or others can be held 72 hours. Jonathan spent years fighting the system and trying to get his brother into long-term treatment, he testified.

“Until there is real reform, we’re just putting a Band-Aid on a gushing, bleeding wound,” he said.

The elephant in the room, of course, was funding. Several mental health advocates during the session pointed out that Florida is ranked 49th among 50 states in per capita spending on mental health treatment. Whether that changes during the 2016 Legislative Session is an open question.