Patrick Stepping Away From Basketball

[HawkGold]

Good points. In my hospital, I'm working to develop an evidence based peer support program that can be used across our whole system to help those who experience direct and vicarious trauma. Agree that hospitals can do a lot better because they have to deal with a rather ugly public at times. I'm hoping that we are in fact starting to do better.

It will come over time. A bigger hole exists with law enforcement not recognizing signs and then escalating. People also make a mistake in assuming anxiety is fear. It can be, but it can also bring out the lion, tiger, rhino, and bear all at once. Long story short, my anxiety comes from trauma. I confronted a perp in a non-threatening and entirely legal manner. I didn't know the connections he had with a sheriff. That sheriff started harassing me. I in a legal manner went after the sheriff. I think we both wish we had played it differently afterward. Me for taking the risk to call out the sheriff and him for politically overstepping his duties.

Back to PM, we really don't know what is driving his health issues so it's impossible to know what his situation looks like. I hope he gets good guidance on coming back and during that comeback if it occurs.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Good points. In my hospital, I'm working to develop an evidence based peer support program that can be used across our whole system to help those who experience direct and vicarious trauma. Agree that hospitals can do a lot better because they have to deal with a rather ugly public at times. I'm hoping that we are in fact starting to do better.

I also bet you rural mental healthcare is a big topic in healthcare networks, especially in Iowa. This is an issue with other specialties as well as the distance one has to travel can be a deterrent to receive care. Something simple as just traveling can be enough to deter someone from seeking help. Unfortunate.

Add into that, that many people such as some elderly can have limitations with travel. It's an issue.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

It will come over time. A bigger hole exists with law enforcement not recognizing signs and then escalating. People also make a mistake in assuming anxiety is fear. It can be, but it can also bring out the lion, tiger, rhino, and bear all at once. Long story short, my anxiety comes from trauma. I confronted a perp in a non-threatening and entirely legal manner. I didn't know the connections he had with a sheriff. That sheriff started harassing me. I in a legal manner went after the sheriff. I think we both wish we had played it differently afterward. Me for taking the risk to call out the sheriff and him for politically overstepping his duties.

Back to PM, we really don't know what is driving his health issues so it's impossible to know what his situation looks like. I hope he gets good guidance on coming back and during that comeback if it occurs.

We have also never asked our police and sheriffs to handle the stuff and situations they have to handle now days. This has just gotten progressively more difficult over the last decades. It is not an easy job for them and they get questioned for every decision and move. They are trained to react to situations.

 

[HawkGold]

We have also never asked our police and sheriffs to handle the stuff and situations they have to handle now days. This has just gotten progressively more difficult over the last decades. It is not an easy job for them and they get questioned for every decision and move. They are trained to react to situations.

You sort of hit on the issue. For many jurisdictions, there is a lack of training. My dad was in law enforcement as well as my brother. To be frank, at times they both could be total jerks personally and with my brother, before his career. Rode with him a lot. Today there is far more backup and more information. If you are concealed carry, for example, their screen lights up. With today's situation, it is also harder for police to get away with bad behavior. Police are also armed pretty well with protective gear (not perfect).

It isn't an easy job. The pay and educational standards should be much higher. Actions and outcomes should be analyzed for improvement. Due to the job, anxiety is an issue. However, putting officers out with anxiety issues is a part of the problem. Pilots identified with anxiety issues are completely held out of the cockpit until cleared and many don't get cleared. Police don't have that standard. In my opinion, we have been too lax on excusing police behavior to the point where it was a problem that we are now trying to reign in. What has changed is a change in emphasis from to protect and serve the public to emphasizing officer safety. That in and of itself is a difficult matter to solve.

Anyway, before this gets moved.....

 

[racerhawk]

I also bet you rural mental healthcare is a big topic in healthcare networks, especially in Iowa. This is an issue with other specialties as well as the distance one has to travel can be a deterrent to receive care. Something simple as just traveling can be enough to deter someone from seeking help. Unfortunate.

Add into that, that many people such as some elderly can have limitations with travel. It's an issue.

Rural health care, especially mental health care, is a massive issue, to be sure. It is very unfortunate.

 

[kicker22]

The problem with Law enforcement is the availability of resources. During the day isn't as much an issue, but what is an officer supposed to do with these individuals at 2 or 3AM? Their only options the majority of the time are hospital or jail and in most cases the individual may not need either. Everyone wants to point fingers at the way officers handle this but (1) they're not doctors or social workers and are not medical professionals and (2) they get the calls when these individuals are at their worst and have very little options available with regards to what to do. It's simply a no win situation for the officers, because most of them want to help, but there is only so much they can do to assist.

Edit: I'll add that I'm involved in 40 hour program geared toward training law enforcement to be more effective when handling these calls and how to better interact with them. However the biggest long term issue we see is we give them all this training and when they are able to deescalate and get to the point where the individual is willing to get help there's often no where for them to go. It's frustrating for everyone, but the effort is out there.
f we really want to point the finger at someone lets point it at the legislation. It's become a political issue that is constantly being defunded, and when funding is available Medicaid repayment rates make it such that they reimburse (or fail to) at a rate in which good/great staff cannot be maintained or simply burn out.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

The problem with Law enforcement is the availability of resources. During the day isn't as much an issue, but what is an officer supposed to do with these individuals at 2 or 3AM? Their only options the majority of the time are hospital or jail and in most cases the individual may not need either. Everyone wants to point fingers at the way officers handle this but (1) they're not doctors or social workers and are not medical professionals and (2) they get the calls when these individuals are at their worst and have very little options available with regards to what to do. It's simply a no win situation for the officers, because most of them want to help, but there is only so much they can do to assist.

Edit: I'll add that I'm involved in 40 hour program geared toward training law enforcement to be more effective when handling these calls and how to better interact with them. However the biggest long term issue we see is we give them all this training and when they are able to deescalate and get to the point where the individual is willing to get help there's often no where for them to go. It's frustrating for everyone, but the effort is out there.
f we really want to point the finger at someone lets point it at the legislation. It's become a political issue that is constantly being defunded, and when funding is available Medicaid repayment rates make it such that they reimburse (or fail to) at a rate in which good/great staff cannot be maintained or simply burn out.

Exactly. That was I was wanting to get at. Well stated.