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Health chief
holds off on
moving programs

Protests against relocating
services from Diamond Head
spur a search for alternatives

---

By Helen Altonn
Star-Bulletin

Controversial plans to relocate adult mental health services and a Life Skills program from the Diamond Head Mental Health Center are on hold to search for alternatives.

That was the message from state Health Director Bruce Anderson yesterday after a two-hour discussion with state legislators, mental health consumers and advocate groups at the state Capitol.

A storm of protest followed Health Department plans to move adult mental health services for about 300 clients to the Lanakila Health Center in Kalihi-Palama. The Life Skills program, with about 30 clients, was to go to the Honolulu Clubhouse at Fort Street Mall.

"There was never any intent to eliminate or compromise services to the adult population," Anderson stressed.

He said the shifts were designed to make more room for crowded child and adolescent mental health staff who share 10,000 square feet of office space and need 25,000 square feet.

Many are working out of their cars and in hallways on the first floor of the Diamond Head Center, he said.

Brian Oishi, a Life Skills and adult services client at Diamond Head, said he's never seen anyone working in the hallways or in cars.

Hoping for a consensus

Both the children's and adults' mental health programs are under federal court orders for improvements. "We don't have time to mess around with this issue," Anderson said, pointing out that the department must meet federal deadlines.

But he said, "We're going to get input from all of you. We would like to try to develop consensus among all the stakeholders."

He said he will meet Monday with Department of Accounting and General Services officials to explore other possible state sites in East Honolulu, either for the children's or adults' programs. A building being vacated by the Department of Defense near Kapiolani Community College was suggested as one possibility.

Mental health clients and organizations were angry they weren't consulted before the Health Department announced its plans.

Anderson apparently wasn't aware of the depth of feelings until receiving letters this week and meeting with the Diamond Head staff Thursday.

Among letter-writers was Leland Chang, special monitor for the Hawaii State Hospital consent decree with the U.S. Department of Justice.

He said moving adult services to Kalihi-Palama "represents a serious loss of access for current clients and East Oahu residents who may need services in the future." Speaker after speaker in the standing-room-only audience yesterday described potentially severe effects on clients from the proposed moves.

They applauded when Helen Chapin, with the Oahu Affiliate, National Alliance for Mentally Ill, said, "Those services should stay where they are. There is no good reason to move them."

Anderson said he was told the children's program can't be moved from the Diamond Head center because computers with information on 11,000 kids would be off-line for two months.

Clients are like a family

But Larry Geller, Hawaii Coalition for Health executive director, disputed that, saying computers can be moved in two days, or even one day if it's critical.

Oishi echoed the feelings of many, saying a mental health clinic is needed in East Honolulu and clients in the Diamond Head Center are like a family. "Please reconsider and keep the programs together."

Honolulu Clubhouse members said Life Skills should not be moved there. "We're dead set against Life Skills coming in," said Tom McCormack, on the advisory board. He said Clubhouse guidelines require that it be "impermeable to other programs."

The Clubhouse is a state mental health program that works with businesses to train stable people with mental illnesses for jobs.

Sen. Matt Matsunaga, (D, Kahala-Waialae-Palolo), Senate Judiciary Committee co-chairman, commended Anderson "for his willingness to reconsider what everyone in the room thinks is a bad decision."

If it's a case of moving people with fragile lives or computers, he said, computers should be the first choice.

"It's for you to participate and come up with a better plan," Rep. Alex Santiago (D, Waialua-Kahuku), House Health Committee chairman, told those in the audience.

Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland (D, Palama-Alewa Hts-Kalihi), the Senate's Health and Human Services chairwoman who scheduled yesterday's meeting, said another one will be held at 2 p.m. Friday at the Capitol to see how things stand.

Anderson said he's still aiming for Sept. 22 to carry out a plan if possible.