Our Behavioral Health Champion interview series continues with Senator Brian Jones. The Senator from San Diego says behavioral health is “on the top of the list” for his district.
Behavioral health as a priority: “It’s on the top of the list. Homelessness and mental health, as it relates to homelessness, and then mental health as it relates to the crime rate, it’s top of mind for everybody… I agree with you that the hospital may not be the right place, jail may not be the right place, but living on the streets isn’t the right place either. And prison, you know, was probably not the right place either. But what is the right place?”
The Senator’s “line in the sand”: “I had to draw a line in the sand and being frustrated with this community not getting the help that it needs and or real solutions being presented. And so I just had to draw it for myself personally and legislatively, draw a line in the sand and say, I don’t know what the answer is, but I’m going to be out there talking about this.“
The solution? “I think if everybody just came to the table and said, none of us have the solution, right? Whatever the solution is, none of us have figured it out. Let’s all work together. It’s like the law and order folks work with the ACLU. You guys both admit what you’ve been doing for the last 20 years doesn’t work, and let’s have a dialogue about it. That’s really where I’m trying to position myself and all of this.”