Shortage of Qualified Staff Causing Problems at County Jail and Juvenile Hall, [Humboldt County] Civil Grand Jury Report Finds

The Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury released another report this afternoon, this one concerning all the county’s custody and corrections facilities, save our two conservation camps, which were addressed in a previous report. What was left to inspect? The jail (official name: Humboldt County Correctional Facility), Juvenile Hall and Sempervirens Psychiatric Health Facility.

“Each of these facilities has several positive attributes and each of these facilities has at least one problem or challenge to overcome,” the report states.

Both the jail and Juvenile Hall have problems maintaining enough qualified staffers — mental health workers at the jail and substance use disorder counselors at juvie, according to the report.

As for Sempervirens, the report says the facility itself is “outdated and not conducive to mental health restoration.”

The report also says the county should boost hours for the Mental Health branch’s Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) and provide more step-down housing for patients leaving county facilities.

The greatest struggle at the jail is dealing with the high number of inmates with mental health issues. “This problem is exacerbated by the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) failure to provide round-the-clock, qualified mental health staffing,” the report says. This despite the fact that last year’s Civil Grand Jury also detailed the mental health issues at the county jail.

A long-planned major expansion of the jail will include an addition dedicated to mental health services, but the project has been repeatedly postponed because of state funding issues. “These delays due to state bureaucracy are having a negative affect on our most fragile inmates – those with mental health issues,” the report says.

In order to compensate for the shortage of qualified staff, the Grand Jury recommends that the county fill empty positions through a for-profit outside contractor. “This tactic may be just a band-aid approach to deeper problems,’ the report warns. “The reasons why recruitment has failed needs to be more fully examined,” and in the long run the county should “become more savvy in attracting qualified applicants.”

Part of the challenge in recruiting qualified medical professionals may the county itself, according to the Grand Jury. While locals who love it here may scoff at such priorities, the report argues, “Humboldt County doesn’t have the social amenities that many highly educated, urban lifestyle-oriented people demand, such as shopping variety, regular available forms of entertainment, and a large cohort of other equally educated professionals with whom to interact.”

Outside contractors may save the county money, but the Grand Jury warns that these monetary savings may come at the expense of quality and continuity of care. Wellpath, a private contractor that provides mental health services in Humboldt County, has been “cited in a wide array of public articles regarding substandard care, and they have been the defendants in numerous lawsuits alleging negligence … ,” according to the report. “Not only does [employing their services] not bring permanent employees to Humboldt County, but increasingly scarce health care dollars are siphoned off to pay investors’ profit.”

Rendering of the new Humboldt County Juvenile Hall, currently under construction. | Image via Grand Jury report.

The long-delayed new Juvenile Hall, which will replace the existing 50-year-old structure, is scheduled to open as soon as this month, and employees at the Probation Department, who staff the facility, are hopeful that the new building will allow for improved services, according to the Grand Jury.

In interviews with the Grand Jury, staff at the Juvenile Hall said they were surprised to learn that DHHS had hired uncertified substance use disorder (SUD) counselors to work with kids. “While State regulations allow the hiring of ‘counselors-in-training’ provided that they are actively enrolled in recognized certification studies, this is considered a contentious practice among many SUD professionals,” the report notes.

Sempervirens, the county’s in-patient psychiatric facility, “has an early 20th century sanitarium feel which is not conducive to mental health rehabilitation,” the report says. “The space is crowded and there is no room in the building for expansion.” So the Grand Jury recommends building a new facility, one with more beds in the Crisis Intervention Unit and a separate housing unit for kids in crisis.

The Grand Jury goes on to recommend that the county adopt assisted outpatient treatment for qualified patients, as sanctioned via the 2002 legislation known as Laura’s Law.

The Grand Jury has requested responses from the Board of Supervisors, DHHS, the Human Resources Department, the Probation Department and the Sheriff’s Office.

Lost Coast Outpost
Ryan Burns
June 18, 2020