Humboldt County pushes back on [Humboldt County] grand jury’s ‘custody and corrections’ recommendations

While this year’s civil grand jury called for significant changes in the way Humboldt County employs mental health workers, manages its facilities and incorporates state mental health laws, the county’s responses this week say implementing the jury’s recommendations is not so simple.

The jury had called for the county not to contract third-party mental health services until it had exhausted all attempts to recruit in-house staff.

It also asked the county to develop an infrastructure plan for its facilities, and to incorporate Laura’s Law, a California policy that develops an outpatient treatment program for people with a history of mental health problems that lead to incarceration or violence.

“Adoption of Assisted Outpatient Treatment in Humboldt County would allow for longer and more detailed involuntary holds for mental health evaluation and treatment,” the jury wrote in its report, which was released in June.

But the county’s departments say they may not be able to implement all of the jury’s asks. The county board of supervisors, for instance, cites its existing facilities master plan as reason it can’t develop a comprehensive infrastructure plan for its buildings — at least not within the timeline that the jury suggests.

The county’s behavioral health department has already provided a training for county staff on Laura’s Law, but the board states it would take far more departments to come on board for the program to be built sustainably.

It also holds off promising to expand its mobile response team to “around-the-clock” hours, saying it would need more funding to make that possible.

The county sheriff’s office, meanwhile, states in its response that staffing at the Humboldt County jail has faced shortages forever, creating a need for an outside corporation to be contracted for some of the work.

“We have been unable to recruit and retain quality personnel for these key positions,” the sheriff’s office’s response reads. “I agree that the County needs to address this concern as soon as possible.”

The Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services (or DHHS) also pushes back on some of the jury’s findings, including the report’s suggestion that third-party contractors are hired to “shield the County from lawsuits.”

“Liability is not a consideration when determining whether to utilize a contractor,” the health department’s response states. “DHHS expects services provided by both contractors and DHHS staff to be of high quality and in compliance with State and Federal regulations.”

Eureka Times-Standard
By SHOMIK MUKHERJEE
August 24, 2020