He said his deputies try not to charge prisoners with new crimes if it appears the alleged crime was caused more by a psychiatric issue than criminal intent. Szatkowski said it’s a common charge for people struggling with mental illness in jail.Īt state psychiatric hospitals, officials say it’s rare for a patient to be charged with such an offense.īaldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee, who’s seen longer wait times for prisoners in his jail needing state services, said mentally ill prisoners picking up new charges during long jail stays can be a problem. In jail, he was charged with a felony for damaging government property, allegedly breaking a sprinkler. The man has since improved, but not before ending up with a new charge. “Basically, he was just dying,” said Anna Szatkowski, the man’s attorney, who recently moved to the DeKalb County Public Defender’s Office. Two months later, he had to be rushed to Northwest Georgia Medical Center after refusing food and medicine inside the jail.
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A young man came to jail facing misdemeanor family violence charges and was found incompetent to stand trial last summer. One of his colleagues had a case that illustrated the perils of long wait times. But delays are now common enough that officials in Hall have regular check-ins with the state for status updates. “I never had anybody just sort of languish prior to the pandemic,” Chris Van Rossem, assistant Hall County public defender, said. Some of those are open because they’re part of COVID-19 quarantine units and waiting for patients who may need temporary isolation, but officials say the most pronounced barrier to admitting new patients is staffing.ĭefense attorneys across metro Atlanta and elsewhere in the state are frustrated to see clients forced to wait so long for the level of care they need. Of the hospital system’s 1,066 beds, 15 percent of beds routinely sit unused, state records show. It’s expected to be submitted in the next legislative session, beginning Jan. A bipartisan bill is in the works to overhaul mental health care in the state, with the shortage of workers high on the list of challenges. “We share the concerns of our partners in law enforcement, the judicial system and emergency departments, who are bearing the brunt of workforce shortages across the behavioral health crisis continuum.”ĭepartment staff are exploring ways to combat the problem, officials said, and are hopeful lawmakers can assist in the upcoming legislative session.
“Competition for the healthcare workforce is at a fever pitch, and as other healthcare providers and staffing agencies offer signing bonuses and higher wages, the State’s ability to compete in this market has decreased,” Fitzgerald said in a statement Thursday. Let us know.Judy Fitzgerald, commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, said the agency is struggling to compete for workers during the pandemic. So I just wanted to let you know just in case he contacts you. “Hey, I’m calling for Atlanta Medical South Campus. Two hours after Smith went missing, his daughter got this voicemail: “I think the first thing you do when you find out is call the police then the family,” Shaketa Sims, a family member, told Channel 2.Įast Point Police and the family said that’s not what happened. Smith’s family thanked Tharpe for finding him and calling police, but they’re livid that the hospital didn’t contact them until he had been missing for two hours. Smith told Tharpe he lived at the house with his mother, but she died in 1999, the news station reported. I said, ‘Can I help you?’ He said, ‘I live here.’” “When I walked up, he was quite disoriented,” Tharpe told Channel 2. “He constantly did not let go of the door knob. Randy Tharpe, who lives along Donnelly Avenue, found Smith walking down the street still wearing a heart monitor and an IV, the news station reported. The story 11PM /soEYSZRPGM- Nefertiti Jáquez August 8, 2018 More than 24 hours after hospital surveillance cameras captured Paul Smith walking out of ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER SOUTH - someone found him 5 Miles away at a home along Donnelly Avenue.
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