Cross-Sector Collaboration and the New York City Involuntary Hospitalization Policy

Although currently living upstate, I’ve closely followed news of Mayor Eric Adams’ policy for removing residents who appear mentally ill on city streets. As a nurse with a background in health care administration, I find this policy ethically problematic. As a PhD candidate studying how organizations collaborate to transition patients lacking homes at discharge, I know the complexities of implementing this policy.

Mayor Adams is proposing a close read of section 9.58 of Article 9 of the New York State Mental Hygiene law, which is the state’s legislation pertaining to involuntary hospitalization of people experiencing acute mental illness. To “939” someone, as it is often informally termed, means to place them under involuntary psychiatric hospitalization because they pose an imminent threat to themselves or others; ‘imminent threat’ is usually interpreted to mean active suicidal ideations or homicidal threats or actions. What Mayor Adams proposes is to allow peace officers and mobile outreach units to apply a wider interpretation of this clause such that it includes any behavior that might threaten an individual’s ability to take care of their daily living needs.

I believe that housing first policies are the bare minimum for giving a person with serious mental illness or any significant […]

2023-01-30T10:31:58-05:00January 25th, 2023|mental illness, Nursing, nursing roles, Public health|0 Comments
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For the Mentally Ill in Crisis, Someone Safe to Call for Help

A troubling encounter.

by julianna paradisi

Although it happened over two months ago, I’m still haunted by the memory, particularly during this cold, harsh winter following on the heels of a politically tumultuous summer and fall.

I’ve run the same loop along the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, for years. This particular morning, a young man walked some 20 feet ahead of me on the sidewalk. He carried by its neck a 1/2 gallon jug of apple juice. Unexpectedly, he tossed an opened box of granola bars, with several individually wrapped bars inside, to the ground and kept walking.

He stopped abruptly at the same time I stopped to wait on the curb for traffic to subside so I could cross to the other side of the street, which is what I routinely do on my route.

We were now six to eight feet apart. From my peripheral vision I noticed him turn and face me. Because we’re in the middle of a pandemic, I was wearing a mask; this and my proximity seemed to disturb him. I stepped away a few paces, giving him more space.

Over my shoulder he said, “You’re a bitch.” I ignored him. He stepped closer, and repeated more loudly, “You’re a […]

2021-02-25T10:54:11-05:00February 25th, 2021|mental illness, mental illness|0 Comments
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How Military Service Affects Veterans’ Health: What All Nurses Need to Know

By Sylvia Foley, AJN senior editor

Photo (c) Associated Press Photo (c) Associated Press

“The war tried to kill us in the spring,” says John Bartle, the narrator of The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers’s acclaimed novel about two U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq. “I know now that everything that will ever matter in my life began then.” The same might be said by many war veterans. The effects of military service, especially on veterans’ health, vary greatly and can be lasting. And with most veterans seeking care through non-VA channels, it’s imperative that civilian nurses have some knowledge of the health issues veterans face.

In this month’s CE, “Enhancing Veteran-Centered Care: A Guide for Nurses in Non-VA Settings,” authors Barbara Johnson and colleagues describe a wide range of veterans’ health concerns and provide guidance for civilian nurses caring for these patients.

Overview: There are currently 22.5 million living U.S. military veterans, and this number is expected to increase dramatically as military personnel return from Iraq and Afghanistan. Although honorably discharged veterans may qualify for health care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), only about 25% of all veterans take advantage of this benefit; a majority seek services in non-VA settings. It’s imperative for nurses in all civilian care […]

2016-11-21T13:07:05-05:00July 3rd, 2013|Nursing|1 Comment
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Walkers

Peggy McDaniel, BSN, RN, an occasional contributor to this blog, works as a clinical liaison support manager of infusion, and is currently based in Brisbane, Australia.

800px-Billiards_balls By Andrzej Barabasz (Chepry)/via Wikimedia Commons

I see, crossing my path as I ride my bike along the beach, a man in his mid-20s with sandy, sun-streaked blond hair and a long sharp nose that’s a dark, angry red. His gait is deliberate, arms and legs moving in sharp angles. Occasionally I’ve seen him sitting along the path, eyes staring out across the sea, chin on fist, always alone. As my bike glides by, I glance over at his face, which lacks all expression.

It occurs to me that the reason, perhaps, that I take notice of this man is because he reminds me of a patient I once had—Charles (not his real name)—who shared that expressionless gaze and deliberate gait, one that took him nowhere in particular as he covered miles every day.

I was working as an inpatient psych nurse and attending school to finish my BSN degree. Charles was intermittently admitted to our unit. He lived on the street, for the most part, and since I lived downtown, I’d occasionally notice him walking. It’s been too long for me to remember what brought him into the hospital. I’m sure it was a variety of things. A person had to be a danger to themselves or others to stay very long in the unit, […]

2016-11-21T13:08:17-05:00February 15th, 2013|nursing perspective|4 Comments
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Views expressed on the blog are solely those of the authors or persons quoted. They do not necessarily reflect AJN’s views or those of Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
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