In De Soto, Mississippi, a mental health crisis is unfolding as some patients seeking help at Baptist Memorial Hospital are ending up in jail cells instead of hospital beds. Patricia Wu, Jessica Reyes, and Joann ‘JoJo’ Venant calls this a form of re-traumatization, as individuals are punished for needing help. Families of these patients are left feeling powerless, but JoJo encourages them to become advocates for their loved ones.
While the lack of psychiatric beds is a serious issue, it shouldn’t lead to using jail as a substitute for care.
Other areas have faced similar challenges and found alternative solutions. It’s time for Mississippi to explore those options, borrow successful strategies, and develop a compassionate crisis intervention plan.
This isn’t just a Mississippi problem, it’s a call for change in how we address mental health nationwide.
We must raise our voices together and demand a better way to provide care for those in need. Everyone deserves access to proper treatment, not a jail sentence.
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