NORWALK, Calif. — Outreach days can be some of the most rewarding or challenging for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health CARE Court team members.
Anthony Perea, a medical case worker, and Marisela Banda, a substance use disorder counselor, may not know how the day’s outreach will unfold.
Still, Perea said previous outreach visits have helped the client they are there to see.
“We’re really grateful that he followed his objectives and his goals. We’ve been working on them consistently, checking in. That’s the reason why we are going out there today, just to make sure that he’s consistent,” Perea said.
In December 2023, the LA Superior Court CARE Court launched as part of a voluntary statewide court process, where family members, first responders and others can file a petition for someone who is at least 18 years old, experiencing an untreated severe mental health illness like schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder to connect them with treatment options.
Because of privacy reasons, Perea couldn’t share details about the CARE Court participant the team was about to see.
Banda said outreach days are a crucial bridge connecting people with accepting services.
“The more that we are able to engage the client, we’re able to build rapport, build trust and a part of this whole process is definitely building trust with clients,” Banda said.
About nine months ago, Spectrum News 1 interviewed Viktoriya Stinson, who hoped the CARE Court system would help her family member struggling with schizophrenia.
However, she hesitated at the thought of how the process would unfold.
“One of the things that I’m thinking about is ... who will get my family member to court every single time they need to go, right? Like this will, for us, change her life,” Stinson said.
A logistical concern that’s weighing on her mind before taking the next step.
As of mid-March, LACDMH data for the LA Superior Court CARE Court shows:
- 400 filed petitions
- Over 70 care agreements where participants opted to take part in the voluntary services and program
- Four care plans — where treatment plans are court-ordered, but medications are not forced
But why are the overall petition numbers so low in a county with such a great need? Banda said not everyone accepts the outreach right away or at all.
“A lot of times we have clients who don’t even recognize that the need is even there, and with family members, it can be to a point that they’ve exhausted all resources and need some professional guidance,” Banda said.
CARE court outreach teams can include a substance use disorder counselor, medical case worker, psychiatric social worker, and more.
LA Superior Court Executive Officer/Clerk of Court David Slayton said the team uses iPads to help participants virtually attend their court hearings to streamline the process and make it more accessible.
“When those agreements are in place, the court of course continues to monitor to make sure you know the individual is participating in the services and that the services are being provided as agreed to by the treatment provider or the housing provider,” Slayton said. “What we’ve seen, our judges report really good success, really positive stories coming out of this, where individuals are getting stabilized, getting housing.”
Slayton said it’s important for hospital directors, first responders, licensed behavioral health professionals, and others eligible to petition on someone’s behalf to consider filing petitions for individuals in need.
Petitions can be filed online or in person at 12 courthouse filing locations.
After the outreach visit, Perea said he’s happy the client is still on track.
“We were able to continue and connect him with more resources today, which was great and that’s definitely something we were looking forward to do,” he said.
Over 260 petitions remain active, and over 120 hearings are scheduled from March to May, according to LACDMH data.