Presentations:
John Dunne gave his new member talk to the Club, and began by introducing his wife of 43 years, Joy. They have two children: a son who lives here, and a daughter who is a musician in Fairbanks, Alaska. John is a child psychiatrist. He had his own practice in Seattle for 36 years; now he works two days per week at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
John has many, varied interests. He plays trombone in a couple different symphonies. In addition, he is very interested in birding and bicycling, and has been part of Tim Farris’ bicycle group.
John’s parents were strongly impacted by the Great Depression, and it cast a shadow on John also. Education was incredibly important to John’s parents, and also to John. He likes challenges and problem-solving, and told the Club about loving to work on a big book of math problems as a child.
John was drafted into the Vietnam War, and served as a public health doctor. When he was back in the States, and beginning to get established as a child psychiatrist, John organized and founded the first professional association of child psychiatrists in Washington State.
Program:
Former Club member and current Whatcom County Sheriff, Bill Elfo, was introduced by Del VandeKirk.
Bill’s presentation focused on the issue of mental illness in our County jail population. The statistics, and jail conditions, were quite sobering. While Bill is not a mental health professional, he oversees the de facto largest mental health facility in the County – the Whatcom County Jail. The jail detains and houses arrests from all local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies within the County, plus all courts (city, district, superior, tribal) in the County, and all fugitives from justice sought in other states. From February 2013 through December 2014, there were 15,225 bookings into the jail; over half (8,354) of inmates received behavioral health evaluations and/or treatment. Inmates with mental health problems constitute about 64% of all inmates; 24% of inmates have serious mental health issues.
The Whatcom County Jail is severely overcrowded. It’s designed for 148 inmates, but often has over twice that number. Overcrowding often aggravates existing mental health issues. In addition, the jail is not designed to effectively provide mental health services, with very little space or resources for evaluation, treatment, and therapy.
There has been a general failure in the mental health system. A move to “de-institutionalize” the mentally ill was not countered by effective community-based alternative treatments. There has been dramatic funding reductions, especially in the past ten years. Inmates often languish in jail, awaiting evaluation and treatment.
There is a local “mental health and chemical dependency” sales tax of 1/10 of 1%. This revenue helps fund: 1) mental health counselors in every school district; 2) housing for chronically mentally ill upon release from jail; 3) drug court; 4) a new mental health court; and 5) jail-based behavioral health services.
Due to overcrowding, life-safety, and physical plant concerns, there is a critical need for a new County Jail. A forty-acre site in Ferndale, near Slater Road, has been identified as a new jail site, but approval has not yet occurred.
Bill then took a few questions from Club members.
