Court ends oversight of mental health system

State officials called it a "proud day" for Hawaii after a federal judge announced an end to the federal court's oversight of the state's mental health system.

U.S. District Judge David Ezra accepted a recommendation yesterday by court-appointed special master U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Chang that the case be closed Nov. 30 with no further hearings.

The finding ended 15 years of court oversight that began with an investigation in 1989, primarily involving the Hawaii State Hospital, which resulted in a Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons Act lawsuit.

During the course of the lawsuit, Hawaii's mental health system was ranked by the National Alliance of Mentally Hill as last out of 51 states and the District of Columbia.

The organization used words like "dire and abysmal" and "disgraceful conditions" to describe the system of care for Hawaii's mentally ill.

"The system was an embarrassment and the worst in the nation and now I believe the people of Hawaii can have pride in the mental health system," said Dr. Tom Hester, chief of the Adult Mental Health Division.

Hawaii has since improved in the rankings to 11 based on letter grades it received in March by the alliance. Hawaii was also nominated as most improved, Hester said.

But the end to court oversight doesn't end the state's commitment and the need to continually improve the mental health system, he said.

Verlin Deerinwater, Justice Department attorney, told the court that the state has come a long way but that there were aspects of Chang's 12th annual report that still need to be done and he expects to continue meeting with state attorneys until Nov. 30.

The litigation was one of two major cases involving active federal court oversight that state Attorney General Mark Bennett had made his priority to bring to an end. This case lasted longer than the landmark Jennifer Felix case that ended May 2005 after 12 years, bringing long-sought-after improvements to the state's special-education program.

"So it really is a proud day for Hawaii and the first time in two decades where we don't have a situation where the U.S. Department of Justice or the federal courts are actively supervising a major part of state government," Bennett said.

He credited the work of the Health Department -- from Health Director Chiyome Fukino to Dr. Tom Hester at the Hawaii State Hospital and Gov. Linda Lingle's commitment to improving mental health services in the state.

There has been a large increase in the number of mentally ill served in the past four years. Those receiving services in the community have grown from 4,500 to more than 12,000. And new services have been instituted in each of the four counties, including a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week access line that handles 90,000 incoming phone calls each year, Hester said.