Some hope CARE Court plan will provide realistic approach to mental illness
SAN LEANDRO -- While Governor Gavin Newsom's CARE Court initiative has been the focus of a theoretical debate about civil rights versus patient care, some Bay Area residents argue they're living a hellish existence because of society's refusal to be realistic about mental illness.
Newsom was in the South Bay Wednesday, celebrating the signing of the Care Court bill into law.
The new law creates a CARE Court system that will evaluate the capacity of people who can't survive on their own or could be a threat to themselves or others. CARE stands for Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment. The legislation saw broad support from both parties with only two state legislators voting against the bill on its way to becoming law.
At age 76, Anita Wills should be enjoying life, spending her golden years spoiling her grandkids. Instead, she's moving out of her San Leandro apartment out of fear that her son Keith will come back and make good on his threats to harm her.
"Not knowing where this son of mine is, what he's doing, is maddening," she said. "I mean I don't know right now where he is or what he's doing."
As a mother, she's torn between loving and fearing her own son. Keith lapsed into mental illness as an adult, began roaming the streets and ended up in jail, accused of attacking people with a knife in a Stockton dining room. The photo of him in the papers was like a knife to Anita's heart.
"It feels like hell, you know?" she said. "When you see a picture of your son, saying that he assaulted four people and he's looking in the picture like a crazy man...it's...you know, my heart sunk."
She said what's most maddening is that no one will do what's needed to help Keith, who's now in his mid 50s. He has been successful in treatment programs before, but because it's all strictly voluntary, Keith simply leaves when his schizophrenia takes over.
Anita is part of a mothers group called FASMI, or Families Advocating for the Seriously Mentally Ill. They say the law must change to allow some kind of mandatory treatment. They've been ardent supporters of Gov. Newsom's CARE Court initiative.
"That feels good, that somebody is caring -- that the State is doing something about it," said Anita. "Will it work? I don't know, but what we have now is not working."
She knows there are those who disagree with compulsory treatment and are concerned about the civil rights of mentally ill people. But her real world experience tells her that, for many, "voluntary" treatment will simply mean no treatment at all.
"And then, he's walking out the door and you're thinking, he could die out there or he could hurt somebody," she explained.
Anita believes CARE Court is an important first step, although building all the required mental health facilities and treatment programs could take a generation to accomplish.
"Yeah, I probably won't see it," she said. "But it makes me feel better that it even exists--that they're even having the conversation."
