Kemper Mental Health Report Delayed Again

According to County CEO Carmel Angelo’s January 12, 2016 report: “In August the Executive Office contracted with Kemper Consulting to perform a review of Mendocino County’s mental health services. At the time the intention was for Mr. Kemper to present a report on the review to the Board of Supervisors at the January 12, 2016 Board meeting. However, the scope of the report was broadened somewhat based on input received by local stakeholders and Mr. Kemper conducted many more interviews than originally envisioned. Kemper was granted additional time to include the extra interviews and review additional stakeholder input in the report. As a result, and due to the Board meeting schedule in February, the Executive Office will ask the Board of Supervisors HHSA standing committee to consider holding a special meeting in the second half of February to review and discuss the Kemper Report (February 19, 2016).”

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“The scope of the report was broadened somewhat…” (So the cost has gone up “somewhat.”) “…based on input received by local stakeholders.” (What “input”?)

“Kemper was granted additional time to include the extra interviews and review additional stakeholder input in the report.” (The initial report probably had some mild negativity that needed to be “balanced” with input from other “stakeholders.” And County taxpayers will have to pay for this unnecessary extra work which should have been done by County staff for no additional cost AFTER the report was out.)

“The Executive Office will ask the Board of Supervisors HHSA standing committee to consider holding a special meeting in the second half of February to review and discuss the Kemper Report (February 19, 2016).” (The CEO “will ask”? Wait a minute, why is the CEO “asking” the HHSA Standing Committee to “review and discuss” the report? And why not the Board of Supervisors which was supposed to hear it on January 12? And when will the full board review and discuss? PS. When will the Ortner RFP go out? When will the Mental Health (or now “Behavioral Health Advisory Board”) get a look at the report? When will Dr. Barash and his dozens of other local doctors who criticized Ortner see it? When will Sheriff Allman who’s planning to set up his own independent Mental Health facility get a look at the report?

PPS. AFTER AN EXTENDED CLOSED SESSION on Tuesday (Jan. 12), the Board announced that the search for a new “Behavioral Health” Director is complete and the new Director is not Mr. Kemper, but former Director Tom Pinizzotto’s second in command, Deputy Mental Health Director Jenine Miller, PhD (a psychologist) who previously was “acting public guardian” before the County put Bryan Lowery into that position. (And yes, you can be excused for thinking that the Health and Human Services Department is just playing musical chairs with their most loyal senior staff.) This appointment indicates that at least a majority of the Board of Supes thinks the Mental Health Department (or whatever they call it) — despite the accelerating public outcry — is being run just fine by existing staff and no outsiders need apply.

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UPDATE: After listening to CEO Angelo's summary of the status of the Kemper Report, Board Chair Dan Gjerde asked for schedule clarification, which sort of answered some of our questions.

Gjerde: "Just for clarification, are you recommending that the board have a special meeting in February, or just the Health and Human Services Standing Committee?”

Angelo: “We are planning on taking this to the Standing Committee on February 8 with the intent of having them make a recommendation to the full board.”

Supervisor John McCowen: “Just to clarify if I may. The intention would not be that the Health and Human Services Standing Committee would actually receive the report and review it and make a recommendation, but merely that they would receive an update on the report and then make a recommendation to the board as was mentioned earlier, and probably to call a special meeting of the Board of Supervisors given the importance of the report and the next steps the Board may wish to take and to ensure that we have an adequate amount of time to really hear in depth from the public, discuss it, and make our recommendations. So I think that's the intention: it would come to the Standing Committee for an update and a recommendation as to scheduling, not a recommendation on the report itself. Is that accurate?”

Angelo: “Yes. I have checked with Mr. Kemper and February 19 was the date that works. But if that is going to be a conflict then it won't work. As soon as your [individual supervisors] meetings are scheduled it would be good to know that. Probably by February 8 we will know. I hope. We could look at other dates. More to come on this. It's good to know what the schedules are.”

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If the Kemper report is submitted to the Health and Human Services Standing Committee, then it should be subject to the Brown Act and the Public Records Act and made available to the public for review, at least. However, it’s still not clear when the Board will consider it or why it has been delayed and “expanded” (other than “additional scope”). We wouldn’t be surprised if the February 8 date was pushed back too. Delay seems to be the continuing theme in anything to do with Mental Health Services these days.