Templeton residents object to county’s behavioral health report
This is what the proposed mental health hospital could look like if approved to go in across the street from Twin Cities Community Hospital.
Templeton residents spoke out today at the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors meeting after county Health Agency/Behavioral Health Department Administrator Anne Robin gave a report on the state of mental health services in the county. Her report includes gaps in mandated and non-mandated services, as well as potential solutions. What many of the speakers objected to was the inclusion of a proposed Templeton facility in the report.
“This came before TAAG … about 300 people showed up for this meeting,” Templeton Area Advisory Group Trustee Vice Chairman Bill Pelfrey said. “Exactly six were proponents of this. I object to this being here before you today, because it has not been approved.”
According to Robin’s report on the Templeton hospital, the Behavioral Health Department supports the development of additional inpatient psychiatric care in the county. While Templeton resident Murray Powell said that the owners of the property and facility had assured the public that it would never be turned into a LPS facility, the report by Robin includes it as a potential designation.
The Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act is a California law governing involuntary civil commitment for psychiatric treatment. It was named for its co-authors – Assemblyman Frank Lanterman and Senators Nicholas C. Petris and Alan Short. The intent of the LPS Act was to end inappropriate lifetime commitment of people with mental illness and firmly establish the right to due process in the commitment process while significantly reducing state institutional expense.
“There are two potential designations for the proposed Templeton facility; one would be ‘LPS Designated’ by the county, meaning the facility would be able to take patients on an involuntary basis, have a locked setting, and would be required to put all the patients’ rights elements into place to ensure due process. Conversely, the facility could accept only voluntary patients. This would preclude the facility from ‘locking’ the site to prevent exit; would not have a required patients’ rights duty; and would provide a stricter range of admission criteria. For the county [behavioral Health Department], a LPS designated facility would be more beneficial. The vast majority of individuals in need of psychiatric hospitalization come in through an involuntary hold process [known as 5150]. All of the admissions to our psychiatric health facility, and all of the individuals we have assisted to hospitals in other counties, have been involuntary. However, any additional beds, especially for youth and elders, would be an asset for care and efficiency.”
“Let’s not confuse the need for drug and alcohol as the Templeton facility being the place to handle that,” Templeton resident Gwen Pelfrey said.
Bill Pelfrey asked that all references to the proposed Templeton facility, which still has to go before the county planning commission before even the board of supervisors get a chance to consider it, be removed from the report.
“Essentially it’s saying you are disrespecting Templeton,” Pelfrey said. “You don’t want to hear our voices, why is that? … “I find it offensive that we have to ask you to stand up for our rights.”
Templeton Unified School District Trustee Shirley Sigmund said that she is concerned about the financial burden the school district would take on because the school district in which an in-patient psychiatric hospital is located is responsible for educating the students residing there.
“We don’t have the finances to support the educational needs for these students,” said Sigmund, who added that she was speaking as a private citizen not as a member of the school board.
After public comment ended, the supervisors addressed comments made by one woman about Laura’s Law. Other than a final request from First District Supervisor Frank Mecham that the Templeton residents’ questions be answered by Robin, there was no discussion about the Templeton mental health hospital.
