In 2016, Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison began her retirement after eight years as a CPS Energy executive who spent 24 years in San Antonio.
It lasted only one year.
Instead, she resumed her public service career in 2017 as president and CEO of the Center for Health Care Services (CHCS), a local mental health agency that offers a wide range of programs for people with mental health and substance abuse disorders. became.
She recalls being surprised when she was offered the job. At CPS, she focused on energy delivery. In the city where she was promoted to deputy mayor, she worked on economic development projects such as the Alamodome.
“I have never worked in the mental health or medical industry. But I saw it as an opportunity to continue my public service,” she said.
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In her five years at CHCS, she steered the agency through the COVID-19 pandemic, causing a spike in mental health disorders in Bexar County, she said. When she struggled to do so, she tried to find a way to bring them in. room, she said.
CHCS, a government agency overseen by the state of Texas, includes wellness clinics, services for the homeless at Haven for Hope, outpatient services that provide an alternative to prison for some nonviolent offenders, and assistance for veterans. There are over 80 programs, including groups. and their families. It does a lot of work with the city and Bexar County – for the city it provides a “drunk unit” where people who are found intoxicated in public and who are not breaking the law can get drunk. including doing
Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison is president and CEO of the Center for Health Care Services, Bexar County’s mental health agency.
Jessica Phelps, Photojournalist / Jessica PhelpsJamison, who grew up in Louisiana and graduated from the state’s Southern University, had planned to become a lawyer, like her mother, until she met Earl Lewis, a professor at Trinity University, and enrolled at the University of San Antonio. I was persuaded to consider an urban studies graduate. program. An internship in the city of San Antonio led to a job and his 24-year career.
“When I graduated college, I was ready to do something different,” she said. I’m here.”
She recently sat down with Express-News to discuss the impact of state funding cuts, the shortage of mental health professionals in the United States, and the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of children and adults. Edited for
Q: Looking back on your time in the city, what are you most proud of?
A: I am very proud of my bricks and mortar. I worked in public works for many years. That is, roads and drainage projects. I know it doesn’t sound very sexy, but I work with my neighbors and understand how important infrastructure has been to them. did. Many of them couldn’t even get their mail because there was no way to establish a mailbox. I know I left a better place than I found myself.
Q: The state cut funding for mental health in 2011. What impact did it have?
A: Severely underfunded and overwhelmed by lack of services are individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. In Texas, he has more than 150,000 people on the waiting list for exempt services. They haven’t done anything to reduce that waiting list over the years. The current rate the state allows for services for its population averages $10 or $11 an hour. . I don’t know anyone paying that fee today. And the price is about 5 hours of work. So they already assume that the individuals they are hiring to work with highly vulnerable people will have to work multiple jobs. Or not a good sign. You don’t even offer a living wage.
Q: You provide mental health services to some inmates as an alternative to prison.
A: Probably since 2007, the center has been actively involved in Bexar County and prison diversion. The center funded individuals from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office to advocate for the mental health crisis in the community. It has evolved into having a clinician at the reservation facility. We have a 24/7 clinician. They provide mental health assessments to individuals screened by law enforcement agencies.
Q: So it could be someone causing a public stir, or…
A: They may have broken the storefront window. We conducted that assessment and made recommendations to the magistrate.
Q: Are they institutionalized or outpatient?
A: They were released on bail. As a condition of their bond, they must undergo medical treatment. So it’s an outpatient treatment. They are monitored by court liaisons and our staff.
Q: You said that only 10% of Bexar County residents with mental illness receive services.
A: The National Alliance on Mental Illness has established the benchmark that approximately 1 in 5 adults nationwide experience a mental health problem. Bring it to Bexar County and the population will be her 2 million. One in five has her, or about 400,000. Based on state funding and other agreements with San Antonio Bexar County, there are approximately 35,000 or 36,000 patients per year. As such, we see disparities in access to care. There are now other non-profit organizations that treat individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. But I tell you, it’s nowhere near 400,000.
Q: What are the barriers to getting mental health treatment?
A: They are very similar to barriers to healthcare. How easy is the medical industry to navigate? You go to your doctor and get referrals from other people. I’m not quite sure what’s going on. I have to go to another place to get tested. … For many years, physical health was disconnected from mental health. There are still practitioners who are very uncomfortable diagnosing and referring individuals for mental health. Many insurance policies do not cover psychiatrists. When seeking services from a private psychiatrist, the wait is often six to eight months.
and stigma. Individuals and families are a little afraid to talk about it. They are not very familiar with the terminology. They don’t know how to diagnose it. We have to overcome all those barriers. What we try to do at the Center is to encourage everyone to provide a safe space for people to talk about their problems. I am trying to train the
Q: Is the lack of psychiatrists part of the problem?
A: There are not enough psychiatrists, not enough trained therapists. Until the Affordable Care Act was enacted, there was no equivalence between mental health care and physical health care. The workforce is not keeping up with the needs out there.
Q: Is there any hope that it will be rectified?
A: If there’s one positive thing about COVID, it’s that we’re talking more freely about mental health. We are giving people the right terminology. From there, I think there will be more interest among individuals who want to pursue it as a career.
Q: What impact have you seen from COVID on the mental health of your community?
A: We are seeing individuals that we have never seen before — individuals whose coping skills have been tested with COVID because they have experienced isolation, job loss, or the loss of family members. Children were probably the most affected. Isolation, staying at home, being with parents instead of being with teachers and friends at school. Being reintroduced into a school environment was also traumatic for some children. There was an increase in suicide attempts. A perhaps 9% increase in the number of children experiencing or witnessing domestic violence in their own homes. A perhaps 5% increase in the adult population witnessing domestic violence at home.
Q: Have you seen an increase in substance use disorders since COVID?
A: yes. Unfortunately, the main substances you see in San Antonio are meth and heroin. Heroin is said to be very accessible and very cheap.
Q: Any hope for more funding for mental health in the next Congress?
A: I know I will be asking for more funding for mental health. We met with all of them in speaking with the Bexar County delegation. They all understand the challenges we face.
We call for mandatory training for educators in mental health first aid. We are also seeking funding to train school student leaders for mental health first aid training. We want a stronger relationship between local mental health authorities and school districts, which have been a little difficult to work with for a variety of reasons. Regulatory requirements require students to stay on campus and stay focused in class. School districts have not received funding for mental health services in the past, so they were truly caught off guard when children returned to school without adequate resources to address their mental health concerns. We want to build stronger relationships. Because we can intervene and conduct risk assessments, de-escalate children, keep them in school and develop safety plans for parents. And the child hasn’t lost a single day at school.
