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State’s relocation of
Diamond Head mental health
services is criticized

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By Helen Altonn
Star-Bulletin

MENTAL health organizations are considering legal action to block state relocation of adult mental health services from the Diamond Head Mental Health Center to Kalihi-Palama.

Greg Farstrup, Mental Health Association in Hawaii executive director, said groups are talking to attorneys about possibly seeking an injunction against the Department of Health "to have them stop this move and, at the very least, plan it in a constructive and supportive manner."

A Health Department plan to move adult mental health services for about 300 clients to the Lanakila Health Center caused an outcry among mental health and disability groups.

A Life Skills program teaching about 30 mentally ill persons to live independently is also being relocated from Diamond Head to the Honolulu Clubhouse at Fort Street Mall.

State health director Bruce Anderson said the department is under pressure from three lawsuits governing developmentally disabled, adult and children's mental health programs. Functions of all three are housed in the building at 3627 Kilauea Ave.

He said the children's health program has expanded dramatically over the last year and the staff is working under extremely cramped and unacceptable conditions. "Some have been working out of their cars -- it's that bad."

Gary Smith, president of the Hawaii Disability Rights Center, said it is also looking into legal action and federal laws "where the state might not be complying in relocating these services."

But he's hopeful that Gov. Ben Cayetano and U.S. District Court Judge David Ezra will intercede after learning "that the state is planning to take space from one disability to give it to another in the Felix class of children."

Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland, chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, and Matt Matsunaga, co-chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, planned to meet at 2 p.m. today with Reps. Alexander Santiago, Health Committee chair, and Dennis Arakaki, head of the Human Services and Housing Committee, to discuss the issues.

"We didn't handle communications very well to begin with," which caused a lot of anxiety, Anderson said. Many staff members didn't learn of the move until clients did about a week ago.

Making matters worse, Anita Swanson, Health Department deputy director of behavioral health, failed to meet Monday with clients, the Mental Health Association, the Disability Rights Center and the Governor's Council on Mental Health. She sent a memo that she was unable to attend.

"She not only didn't come but left instructions for all the Diamond Head staff not to talk to us," Smith said.

Anderson said meetings should have been been held with every client at the outset to explain the plans and assure them services would continue. That is being done now, he said.

He said the developmentally disabled program will move to the fourth floor of the Diamond Head building, into adult mental health program space, and the children's program will expand into space now occupied by the developmentally disabled staff on first floor.

The children's program can't be moved because it involves a lot of computer equipment that can't be taken off-line, Anderson said. "We're under strict guidelines to provide necessary services," he said.

Guidelines also have been imposed for developmentally disabled and adult mental health programs under federal court orders for improved services, he said. "We're trying to do the best we can to accommodate all of this.

"We are under a very aggressive schedule. This is not business as usual. We have several lawsuits we're dealing with. ... A number of pressures are coming at us from different angles."

Anderson has delayed the moves, but hopes to accomplish them by Sept. 22 or earlier.

"The first priority for sure is that the patients and clients will continue to receive services," he said.

Farstrup said people feel betrayed because health officials have asked for their trust, "then something like this happens ... without discussion or input from people affected the most."

He said the children's mental health employees working in hallways and out of cars "are administrators. They're not working directly with kids ... administrators can be in any building."

Swanson said she recommended the moves based on needs of both the child and adult mental health populations.

"I'm confident our staff will be professional in responding to the needs of our adult clients and we can relocate programs and continue the same activities with the same staff," she said.

"This is a tough one," Anderson said. "But I think ultimately it's going to be best for everyone, the entire department."