EUREKA, Calif. — The
Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury released three reports today discussing the
state of eldercare, child welfare and the county jail, three years into the
pandemic.
The reports delve into the
challenges the county has faced in providing services to residents amid the
pandemic and highlighted a series of ongoing issues -- most notably, Humboldt
County’s lack of psychiatric care, the underreporting of elder abuse and the
need for better collaboration with tribal governments in child abuse cases.
Elder Abuse and Homelessness
The "Elder Abuse and
Senior Homelessness Report" sheds light on the growing number of people
seniors in Humboldt County who are victims of elder abuse or are experiencing
homelessness.
“For seniors already on
the streets, the ability to prioritize them for immediate shelter is vital,”
the report states. “As of this writing, there are no emergency beds or shelters
set aside exclusively for homeless seniors in Humboldt County.”
According to the report,
many seniors – people 65-years-of-age or older -- are avoiding shelters because
they are concerned about shelter safety. The Grand Jury is asking the county to
pursue grant funding from the state to address the lack of senior-specific
housing and emergency shelters.
The Grand Jury also cites
concerns about the underreporting of elder abuse in the county and said Adult
Protective Services can do more to bring awareness to the frequency of abuse.
It recommends all law enforcement agencies add a prominent elder abuse
reporting link and number on their websites by December 31 of this year.
While the issue of elder
abuse persists, the county has seen a “substantial improvement” in both
prosecutions and convictions of elder abuse cases, thanks to Measure Z dollars,
a half-cent sales tax passed by Humboldt County voters in 2014.
Correctional Facilities
The Grand Jury’s report
titled, "Custody, Corrections and other County Facilities" noted that
despite efforts to recruit staff, The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is
struggling to attract qualified staff to manage its jail–in part due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and high cost of living.
According to the report,
there have also been some safety concerns within the jail. The most obvious is
COVID-19. The county responded to the public health threat by implementing a
quarantine policy in 2020. Inmates who tested positive for the virus are placed
in isolation cells.
The facility only saw one
severe case of COVID-19 that required hospitalization, according to the report.
Mental health was the
other top concern. The Grand Jury discussed the county’s worsening mental
health crisis in is 2018-2019 report but they are saying the situation has only
become more severe.
Sempervirens, Humboldt
County’s acute psychiatric hospital, cannot house inmates and has just 16 beds,
which is not enough to even serve the general public. Humboldt County Jail has been
serving as a de facto psychiatric facility since 90% of its inmates have mental
health conditions. Inmate assaults are up by more than 50%, from 2020-2021,
according to the report.
“This creates a
potentially unsafe environment for officers and inmates,” the report states.
“Seven years ago, the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury recommended the
installation of safety netting between floors as a fall and suicide prevention
safety measure. Per leadership, this netting should be installed by November
2022.”
The report also highlights
work that needs to be done in other county facilities including the County
Animal Shelter, which doesn’t have enough kennels and the Office of Emergency
Services, which needs upgrades.
Child Welfare Services
In its "Collaborative
Community Quest" report, the Grand Jury found that more needs to be done
to make sure Native American children are protected and supported in the
county.
After sovereign nations
alleged the Department of Health & Human Services-Child Welfare Services’
(DHHS-CWS) and Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office allegedly failed to comply with
California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, the Grand Jury launched its
own investigation.
“We have determined that
while DHHS-CWS and HCSO have made notable progress toward collaboration with
area Native American tribes, this mandated corrective action continues to be a
challenge in the areas of joint decision making, cross-reporting, communication
involving child welfare policies, and oft-opposing philosophical perspectives,”
the report stated. “CANRA compliance is therefore threatened as noted by County
tribal representatives through documents obtained and interviews conducted by
this Grand Jury.”
The Grand Jury is calling
on the Board of Supervisors to create an independent Office of Tribal Affairs
by January 1, 2023, to help increase communication between tribal communities
and county government entities. According to the report, such an office would
help address child protection, social services and justice issues in a more
effective, culturally informed way.
The full reports can be
found on the county's website.
KRCRTV.com
Carly Wipf
June 17th 2022
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