About 4 years ago an cousin of mine showed up off his meds. He made it back to Elko Nevada where he was locked up. It was Summer when He was here and at Thanks Giving I found out that He was still stuck in a Jail Cell in Elko....The system would not move him to a Psych unit until he was not "Dangerous" I got an inkling of how bad the mental health care system is from thatLast night I got a crisis call for a family member who was suicidal. I was the only one available, so I took it.
Dealt with the local cops, then drove out there and got her to a hospital. Waited all night for the crisis team to arrive, and they still haven't seen her. She detoxed in the ER and wasn't seen by a provider except at the initial intake. About 2 hours ago we at least got moved to a locked psychiatric ER area rather than the regular unlocked and unregulated medical ER area. I did not feel she was watched/safe in the regular medical ER. She's finally safe and I can go home. Except now I worry because crisis still hasn't seen her and there are apparently no psych beds anywhere and I fear they're just going to release her.
I just got out of the underwear I've been wearing since Wednesday AM. I've "slept" on the floor of a hospital room and also across 2 regular chairs that I pushed together. I've had all of my personal belongings taken away with exception of the illegal rogue chapstick they didn't find in my shirt pocket. I was placed alongside my ward in a sensory deprivation room.
I'm exhausted, smelly and shocked at the state of our mental health care.