1 Vernice Hankins
From: Ellen Hannan <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2022 7:59 PM
To: David White; Council Mailbox; councilmtgitems
Subject: Item F for September 13,2022 City Council Agenda
EXTERNAL
Dear City Staff and City Council:
September 10,2022
You have already squander the $1 Million Dollars Bloomberg Well Being Funds, the opportunity to use the vast fund raising ability of Providence / St Johns' Medical Center and the state resources of UCLA Medical Center Center as sources for the needs of the RESIDENTS of Santa Monica. Santa Monica needs a 50 bed MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY.
Please spend some time researching the difference between Behavioral Health and Mental Health Care.
Since 2011 I have attended the meetings between Santa Monica Mid City Neighbors and St Johns' and later Providence St Johns'. At every yearly meeting the urgent need for mental health care in our community was discussed. Their staff acknowledged this and reported to us their Emergency Room needs and lack of follow up care for their patients. Still in their planning for a new massive building site the concept of Mental Health Care was ignored by your staff, Planning Commission and you the City Council.
Now a 2 year plan to review the failed programs for the homeless is somehow the solution. Tell me how this provides help for the people who live and pay taxes here and also suffer from mental health issues of depression, Bipolar Disorders, Postpartum distress, drug addiction and many other psychoses. Why are we again being ignored? Most of our residents have health insurance which covers a 90 day stay for evaluation and treatment of mental health services. But there is NO facility in our area for even an evaluation and short term stay. Our families are in grave distress.
Why is it that the Cities of Palm Desert and Desert Hot Springs have new inpatient short term centers? Maybe you should take a field trip?
We do not need a 2 year study of homelessness. We have failed. The short term band aid approach the City has used cannot help. It is a very complicated and long term problem which one City in this county cannot solve.
I urge you to think about your priority on Item F. I urge you to research the planning of Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs.
Ellen Hannan
1218 9th St #6
Santa Monica CA 90401
Item 5.F
09/13/22
1 of 1 Item 5.F
09/13/22