A Colusa County grand jury
found officials need to take a stronger role in overseeing the Safe Haven
Drop-in Center.
The 2014-15 grand jury
investigated the Colusa facility following a citizen complaint that alleged
drug use on the premises and bullying.
It was the third grand jury
investigation in three years. The Drop-in Center, established in 2008, is a day
facility where people can go to share and learn skills to assist them in
handling mental illness.
The center has experience
substantial growth in recent years, the grand jury said, from five participants
to about 30 active members who visit the center each day.
Safe Haven is largely
peer-driven, but is overseen by the Mental Health Service Act coordinator and
Workforce, Education and Training volunteers, who receive a stipend from the
county.
At the center, which is funded
from Proposition 63 money from the state, behaviorial health clients and Safe
Haven members can visit with each other, have peer group meetings, watch
television, and cook and share meals.
The grand jury said the center
is clean and well organized with a very comfortable atmosphere, but since the
death of the MHSA coordinator in 2014, supervision and oversight by the county
has diminished.
After speaking with past and
current members of the Safe-Haven Drop-In Center and two surprise visits, the
grand jury determined that not all Workforce, Education and Training volunteers
have gone through the proper background check prior to being paid stipend compensation,
and that some clients are possibly under the influence of drugs while at the
center.
The grand jury has also found
some clients have been ostracized or made to feel unwelcome at the center,
which is supposed to be open to all.
The grand jury recommended the
Colusa County Behavioral Health Department take a more active role in
overseeing the center and take appropriate action to curtail drug use at the
facility.
The grand jury also recommended
the county see all Workforce, Education and Training volunteers have the proper
FBI background check with fingerprints prior to hire, and to maintain proper
documentation on volunteers and the outcomes of their background checks.
The grand jury also suggested
the county reach out to past clients made to feel unwelcome and encourage their
return to the center.
The grand jury said Safe Haven
Drop-In Center appears otherwise to operate in accordance with its established
purpose of serving the needs of local residents who have emotional and mental
health challenges.
The center provides valuable
services, such as a clothing closet, laundry facilities and meals for visitors,
the grand jury said. The center also organizes events in the community to
create mental health awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
The center is a project
designed to provide a safe, judgment free, supportive environment that will
help integrate clients into the community with an increased ability to function
independently, the grand jury said.
July 1, 2015
Appeal-Democrat:
Colusa Sun Herald
By Susan
Meeker
No comments:
Post a Comment