KEYT’s Jade Martinez-Pogue returns to Newsmakers TV this week to discuss her boffo new series on the dangerous and expensive shortage of acute care psychiatric beds for people suffering mental health crises iin Santa Barbara County.
With a grant from USC’s Anneberg Center for Health Journalism, Jade began reporting the series before leaving her reporting perch several months ago at Noozhawk, which published the series --- here, here and here – this week. With a deep dive into data, and interviews with key folks on the front lines of responding and coping with increased demands for mental health services, the series demonstrates, among other things, how the county’s shortage of psychiatric in-patient beds – 16, count ‘em, 16 – not only leads to long stays for patients in local emergency rooms, resulting in strains on staff and resources, but also costs big bucks to place Santa Barbara citizens in crisis into far-flung alternative facilities.
Joining in the mega-kudos for a colleague's good work, Newsmakers regulars Josh Molina and Nick Welsh also break down the latest on other big local stories of the week, from the slow but steady progress of SB’s effort to establish a civilian review process for complaints against city cops, to the latest developments in the 100-year war over what to do with De La Guerra Plaza, and legal action by Montecito homeowners in the battle over a proposed expansion of on-street neighborhood parking by hikers near the Hot Springs Trail trailhead.
Plus: a monumental blooper in the genial host's introduction of the Angry Poodle. It’s all here, right now on Newsmakers TV.
Check out the show via YouTube below or by clicking through this link. The audio version is here..
Correction: On last week’s show, several panelists incorrectly stated that SB city councilmember Oscar Gutierrez has received campaign contributions from the SEIU local union representing City Hall workers. Newsmakers regrets the error with an apology to Oscar.