[remote or in person] Committee on Health and Human Relations

Chicago City Council
Health
Politics

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024
11:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. CST

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121 N LaSalle St Chicago, IL 60602 (Directions)

Chicago City Hall, 2nd floor, Council Chambers

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Reporting

Edited and summarized by the Chicago - IL Documenters Team

Note-taking by Angela Ybarra

The Treatment Not Trauma program has been in planning processes for some time and in the news making many feel as if it might not come to fruition.

View notes
Live reporting by Claire Samuels

The Treatment Not Trauma program has been in planning processes for some time and in the news making many feel as if it might not come to fruition.

Claire
Claire @monsterultrared 2/49
Here is the agenda for this morning: You can watch the meeting live here: After the meeting concludes, you will be able to find a recording here: chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Meeting/?meeti… chicityclerk.com/committee-heal… chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Meetings/
chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Meeting/?meeti… chicityclerk.com/committee-heal… chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov/Meetings/
Claire @monsterultrared 3/49
Today’s meeting agenda includes time for public comment and a mid-point progress report on the Treatment not Trauma working group.
Claire @monsterultrared 4/49
Chairperson Rosanna Rodriguez Sanchez calls the meeting to order at 11:17 am. Quorum is established with 7 members present and one member attending remotely.
Claire @monsterultrared 5/49
We now move to public comment period. 30 minutes are scheduled for public comment. Each commenter is allotted 3 minutes.
Claire @monsterultrared 6/49
The first commenter speaks about the importance of mental health advocacy for the Black community.
Claire @monsterultrared 7/49
Second commenter speaks in support of Treatment not Trauma. "With the DNC coming to our city, all eyes are on Chicago... we need to ensure free and accessible mental health care for all Chicagoans."
Claire @monsterultrared 8/49
Third commenter advocates for Treatment not Trauma and praises the developing mental health care network in the 19th district. She highlights some barriers to care that still exist - for example, reaching the correct resource can be difficult.
Claire @monsterultrared 9/49
Fourth commenter emphasizes the importance of accessible mental health care for young people, and urges the working group to support Treatment not Trauma.
Claire @monsterultrared 10/49
Fifth commenter: "Treatment not Trauma is an important part of a society that does not criminalize mental illness." He discusses some limitations of nonprofit-based treatment systems and how a public model can address these issues.
Claire @monsterultrared 11/49
Sixth commenter discusses his organization's research on police responses to mental health crises. They have found many cases of trauma from emergency services, especially from police response.
Claire @monsterultrared 12/49
Seventh commenter is a social worker involved with the Collaborative for Community Wellness. She discusses the lack of access to affordable mental health care for Chicagoans. She advocates investment in non-police crisis response and in long-term affordable health resources.
Claire @monsterultrared 13/49
Eighth commenter discusses his nephew's mental health struggles and his experiences in accessing care. He advocates for both police and social worker crisis response.
Claire @monsterultrared 14/49
Ninth commenter speaks in support of Treatment not Trauma, and shares the difficulty she has faced in accessing mental health care for herself and her family.
Claire @monsterultrared 15/49
10th commenter speaks about her experience in community advocacy and her own struggle with trauma from a death by gun violence in her family. She requests a strong foundation and community leadership for Treatment not Trauma.
Claire @monsterultrared 16/49
11th commenter speaks in support of Treatment not Trauma and points out that this program could make Chicago a national leader in public mental health care.
Claire @monsterultrared 17/49
12th commenter speaks in support of Treatment not Trauma. She discusses the shortcomings of the Chicago Police Department in her experiences with mental health crisis response. "If you are in a mental health crisis, please reach out to 988, not 911!"
Claire @monsterultrared 18/49
13th commenter speaks in support of Treatment not Trauma. She urges the working group to prioritize independent analysis and careful decision-making.
Claire @monsterultrared 19/49
14th commenter speaks about the devastating impact of closing and understaffed mental health clinics and urges action from the Department of Health.
Claire @monsterultrared 20/49
15th commenter speaks in support of Treatment not Trauma. He discusses his experiences working for organizations in other states. He advocates for more flexible appointment scheduling and access to care for adolescents.
Claire @monsterultrared 21/49
16th commenter discusses the history of crisis response and speaks in support of Treatment not Trauma.
Claire @monsterultrared 22/49
Public comment period concludes.
Claire @monsterultrared 23/49
Next item of business is approval of the Rule 45 report. Approval passes.
Claire @monsterultrared 24/49
Next item on the agenda is a subject matter hearing on the Treatment Not Trauma Working Group.
Claire @monsterultrared 25/49
From the agenda: "This meeting will be an introduction to the working group’s structure, its goals, its various participants and partners, and an opportunity to receive information related to the community engagement process.
Claire @monsterultrared 26/49
Read more about Treatment not Trauma here: chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
Claire @monsterultrared 27/49
Treatment not Trauma aims to correct systems and practices that have created inequities for too long, and to user in a new era of inclusive, effective governance.
Claire @monsterultrared 28/49
Treatment not Trauma (TnT) working group will deliver a report to the Mayor by May 31st, 2024 with topic including budget expansion, capital needs, staffing strategies, community input, and more.
Claire @monsterultrared 29/49
Community engagement is critical to the TnT working group. The following categories are currently represented in the Community Consult: - Grassroots leaders - Organizers - Labor - CBOs - Academic content experts - Healthcare providers
Claire @monsterultrared 30/49
A city-wide meeting will be hosted in March, following the first one in January with 14 wards represented. Seven additional TnT listening sessions will be hosted across the city by the Collaborative for Community Wellness.
Claire @monsterultrared 31/49
Values of the TnT working group emphasize compassionate, trained, non-police crisis response.
Claire @monsterultrared 32/49
Clinical expansion is another important value of the TnT working group.
Claire @monsterultrared 33/49
A public listening session will be held tonight and additional sessions will run through March 18th. More information here: chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
Claire @monsterultrared 34/49
"We need to build a system that can meet the demands not only for crisis support, but also for prevention."
Claire @monsterultrared 35/49
Presentation shifts to Non-Police Response Scope. TnT working group recommends "the City of Chicago build out permanent alternate response services to meet behavioral health needs."
Claire @monsterultrared 36/49
"The care provided should be trauma informed, holistic, and rooted in the needs and experiences of its users, their families, and communities."
Claire @monsterultrared 37/49
Presentation moves to the Chicago Crisis Assistance Response and Engagement program (CARE). Pilot programs under this initiative have been successful. chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
Claire @monsterultrared 38/49
Next, TnT Clinical Services subgroup discusses their recommendations. They recommend increased access to direct clinical services and improved coordination and communication between those services. Care should be culturally affirming, trauma informed, and rooted in community need
Claire @monsterultrared 39/49
A representative of Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) discusses how CDPH supports the working group. One way in which they do this is providing data on subjects such as unmet mental health needs in communities.
Claire @monsterultrared 40/49
The working group concludes their presentation with urging the council to visit and promote the Treatment not Trauma microsite, and to promote and/or attend a listening session. chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
chicago.gov/city/en/sites/…
Claire @monsterultrared 41/49
A member asks about comparisons made to programs in other cities. She wonders what the working group's criteria for efficacy is. A working group member discusses the methodology, which includes quantitative and holistic assessment.
Claire @monsterultrared 42/49
The member also asks about continuity of care within the program, and if crisis response will involve professionals that are known to that patient. Working group member answers that crisis response does not consider this, but follow-up care (cont')
Claire @monsterultrared 43/49
.. with a patient's established care team is an important part of the framework.
Claire @monsterultrared 44/49
The same member asks about the timeline for opening mental health clinics. The working group responds that this is still being determined.
Claire @monsterultrared 45/49
Aldr. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth asks about Albuquerque's crisis response program, and would like to know more about what TnT would like to emulate. She asks as well about the role of public schools in the plan.
Claire @monsterultrared 46/49
Working group responds that public schools are an important part of the network but budget cuts and lack of communication between schools and other organizations can present challenges. They also emphasize the importance of collaboration within government for effective outreach.
Claire @monsterultrared 47/49
Aldr. Byron Sigcho-Lopez thanks the members as well as Mayor Johnson for their work. He looks forward to continuing this collaborative approach and states his support for TnT.
Claire @monsterultrared 48/49
The meeting adjournes at 1:15 pm.
Claire @monsterultrared 49/49
That concludes my coverage of today's Chicago City Council Committe on Health and Human Relations! Thank you for following along with my thread and make sure to follow @CHIdocumenters for more public meeting coverage.
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Agency Information

Chicago City Council

chicityclerkelms.chicago.gov

(312) 744-3166

@ChiCouncil

See Documenters reporting

The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago and consists of the Mayor and Aldermen elected from each of the City’s fifty wards. Source

If you attend a meeting in person, be prepared to go through a security checkpoint and show photo ID.

Meetings are also livestreamed at https://www.chicityclerk.com/.

At this link, scroll down to “Meeting Notices.” Look for “Watch now” and click on the link with the meeting title to go to a livestream page. If you don’t see a link for the meeting, you may be early or the meeting may be starting late. Wait a few moments and try refreshing your Internet tab.

Recordings of past City Council meetings may be found here: https://vimeo.com/user100351763/videos/sort:date.

See also: “What to Expect at a Meeting of Chicago’s City Council” via the Better Government Association.

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