Health Department Forms Folder 0065, 1999-2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

II. Discharge Planning Services

Discharge planning involves the following elements:

• Assessment & identification of need upon release; • Assistance with applying for/reinstatement of public benefits; • Provision of access to needed medication; • Linkage to community-based mental health/substance abuse treatment; • Access to temporary or permanent housing; • Linkage to community-based medical treatment if indicated; • Case management; • Community-based coordination of services; • Follow-up and monitoring based on individual need.

Pre-existing City efforts

Based upon research results (see attached), City had been working on enhancing discharge planning services from City jails as part of general program to address mentally ill in criminal justice system, an initiative that has also involved court diversion programs, including:

• expansion of LINK program, involving transitional case management for inmates, expanded to all five boroughs;

• Implementation of State-funded medication grant program to provide transitional psychotropic medication for mentally ill pending Medicaid eligibility accompanied by changes in Medicaid application procedures to facilitate re- enrollment of released inmates;

• Development of AOT-team on Rikers Island;

• Enhancement of discharge planning staff in jails through new State dollars;

• Development of new community case management resources for released inmates with new State dollars;

• Enhancement of mental health clinics to serve released inmates.

III. City Plan for Discharge Planning

• Multi-agency task force convened by Operations to develop plan for enhanced services and possible compliance with court order in Brad H.

Estimates that at a minimum up to 18,835 inmates are prescribed psychotropic medications annually. In addition, up to 25% of inmates in general population and up to 5% of inmates in mental observation housing units receive mental health treatments without medication that would likely qualify them as class members.

NYC-WTC 000138007