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Home My WebLink About05.20.21 Board Correspondence - opting out of Lauras law From:George Deeds To:andrew.coolidge@chicoca.gov;Alex Brown;Scott Huber;Sean Morgan;kami.denlay@chicoca.gov;Kasey Reynolds;deepika.tandon@chicoca.gov;Connelly, Bill;Lucero, Debra;Ritter, Tami;BOS District 4;Teeter, Doug; Sabah Muhammad;Lisa Dailey;Kennelly, Scott Subject:opting out of Lauras law Date:Thursday, May 20, 2021 11:34:01 AM ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening .. attachments, clicking on links, or replying. Hello Counselors As we all probably know Behavioral health held a presentation with their intentions of letting the state know they would like to opt out I liked a lot of the idea presented for what they knew about this R E S T program At the same time I am still plugged into the FB pages for Laura s law and all the contacts I have made over all these years advocating for the mentally disabled. Like Scott pointed out there are other countries making the same choices Sacramento county voted it in Bravo Guess they seen how the state mental health system was going broke and AOT saved them MONEY just like our State auditor said Another thing that was happening at the same time I had been thinking about a friend to our community This friend has put in countless hours on our streets advocating because she gets the full show in her personal life . See when you understand because you been in their shoes the agony of not having a AOT program because she might have been spared all this agony had Assisted Outpatient Treatment program been in place she may have been spared this ordeal. Meanwhile in the same time frame On the FB lauras law site I ask you all to join us there It great info and working advocates across our nation for our mentally ill So Sacramento had a public hearing and Eric Smith spoke up Do you know anyone who has been in a Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program aka Lauras law here in California? Eric has Please watch the attached video and Erics testimony if anything you will know advocates position because of the success of AOT Then after further reflection about that presentation thats when I realized that maybe and I maybe wrong but I am for transparency so here goes? Maybe a lot of people may have missed some points about Lauras law for instance The black robe effect is a step into a relationship between our most vulnerable and a position of prestige two completely opposites meeting together to care a step towards the decriminalization of the mentally ill Because thats what Assisted Outpatient Treatment does establishes a relationship between two human beings where they both can be involved in the community that's why it works and is successful Its tough for me to think of the friends I see go through so much pain because there isnt a better way in this county and of course opt out THEY BEEN OPTING OUT I wonder if the agency responsible for making the decisions are ready for this? the miracle is AOT when you can get two completely different people in a room to help out in a situation that may not lead to time to prison time ever waited for a trial my family been waiting two years to put a punk ass in the can and its STRESSFUL sometimes we dont see justice in the world then there is Texas prisons where women commit crimes then they get the help they needed? when they were in PSYCHOSIS? the injustice of it all better way than all that let the prestige meet with our most vulnerable its been working Lauras Law because it works helping keep loved ones safe and at home oh oh yeah the money thing well thats what the millionares help pay for money BBH t want to spend on yet another program the miracle of last august with changing the opt in to opt out why did that happen? remember people because it could happen again ? it might not be probable but what have we all just gone through? State auditor showed this money side and how much they can save on money thats why those counties were not going broke and the other counties were was that forgotten? Another important point made by Nevada County AOT Judge Tom Anderson is that the cost of the AOT civil court is significantly less than the criminal court costs otherwise often incurred by untreated individuals. save even more money other problem is where are the multiple fund raisers? The Namis in other counties participate in those things help pay for things What about the musicians here make an album and if there are royalties get a percentage to fund the money that can be allocated like maybe cannabis tax fund mental health hemp money instead things that have not happened at all yet are a small list of possibliltes then there is this Valuable as the outreach of Laura's Law is, and the 10-1 ratio of clients to staff, this is NOT what distinguishes Laura's Law from ACT (Assertive Community Treatment). What accounts for the success of LL over ACT in successfully supporting the most treatment-resistant individuals to be and stay in treatment is 1) the mandate (and permission) AOT places on providers to insist LL clients continue to engage with a treatment team; 2) the monitoring and support clients receive from the civil court judge as an extention of the treatment team; and 3) a safety net, so that those who are faltering and at high risk in the community can receive placement in a timely fashion for re-assessment. Those who think ACT or another outreach program can substitute for Laura's Law are missing these critical components of LL success. I play guitar on the streets of Chico and what is awesome is the amount of people who are all working together in this county I got a chance to thank you all on TV Howeverwe have tons of programs now point of contact the endless stream of people who do help out yet another an alternate program instead? Lauras law is going to start from scratch anytime you start it so 5 years from now ten years from now it will be the same thing same thing as we are doing now tie up that funding so they can do what is already being done? maybe not to the degree as BBH however the countless churches who have houses for people Chat etc we all know the names Again a slew of people out there helping wish they would all get along blah you can partner with law enforcement. for myself this coincides for that bill I would like to see passed that mental health calls are handled differently go to people who went to school for this instead of having police intervention Two pilot programs for therapist law enforcement way to the future like LL yeah think a whole lot of people missed the point of AOT lauras law Butte county needs a good reason to opt out same ole reason doesnt cut it it may be one person at a time but isnt that the work? In almost anything we do? If you never met anyone who been through a AOT program think hes out of texas Here is a chance to learn that the black robe effect is an introduction Eric will tell yah Again thank you all for your work in our community Its thankless for sure however caring for your neighbor is how some people see God and we are in a wonderful community with a lot of people who care for it thanks regards George Eric Smith May13at12:46PM· *VIDEO* of my testimony from last night's victory in Sacramento about Laura's Law/AOT is now available. I was invited to be the speaker in favor of Laura's Law/AOT, and I am happy to report last night's vote unanimously supports Laura's Law/AOT. I share this won battle with all of my fellow advocates and my family. We now move on to the next battle. Onward! If you are interested in hearing my testimony, please fast forward to 52:41 at the link below. Thank you! https://youtu.be/SYGNaSPTzbo