documented 64 percent decline in psych hospitals there's been a 27 percent decline in incarceration for prison and a 33 percent decline in homeless days and there's been a '64 percent decline in emergency interventions. overall for every tdr spent on treatment under you assisted outpatient that's been documented one dollar and $0.84

avoided costs it clearly saves lives and money that's the com patient thing to do as mayor ed lee said. image if san francisco implements laura's law it will have the same experience as nevada county >> thank you again to supervisor farrell and mayor ed lee we really appreciate our support this has been a long struggle but i said all the time you have two major county in one week that have come to this point and we hope it will lead to more thank you very much. >> (clapping) >> thank you to the wilcox family for coming down from nevada county and sharing your story. i want to introduce the director of our public health department barbara garcia

(clapping.) good morning. i wanted to acknowledge the wilcox family thank you for your work. the department of public health has an incredible health system we serve over thirty thousand people we looked at the political process this went through we developed a program for volunteering system in that the client what voluntarily come into the system and has a mandate treatment plan. with laura's the more important thing on the front end it allows for the family and providers and i want to acknowledge the providers who watch their patients fail and die because of the lack of compassionate treatment and they don't have the tool to mandatory the

process it's important for the civil right of our plan through this process the advocacy of insuring the people have the right through this law i believe it will and will look at the fact it those individuals and the ability of families to acknowledge the fact it is very difficult for families to acknowledge the fact they have a mentally ill child we have individual rights address protections of the information and adults don't have to share that with their families we have barriers for the providers as well as the family members to seek access for care for their family members. we believe that treatment works and people do better when they have treatment we've watched patients become active and good

providers in the community we do not want people into the emergency care department but help folks engage in treatment. in infected the department will especially up we have over one dozen years of experience this will be a critic court means and we have the means to work with the court system as well as to immediately set up an assisted treatment and we have the state support for funding to make sure this passes and i know the city will also support any services. i look forward to working with the community and the advocates to make sure we work through the process and that we try to bring

this program to fruition to make sure that more people have access through the treatment and more family members and the providers have the ability to take care of their family members and patients thank you very much (clapping) >> thank you director garcia at this point, i'd like to call up director joann associate professor and a physician at psych emergency service and for case management and has 20 years of experience at sf general dr. ralph (clapping). >> thank you supervisors. that's very kind i wish it were only 20 years it's more like 35 (laughter) >> so as you heard from our director barbara garcia san

francisco's behavorial system officers thirty thousand san franciscans every year mostly volunteer treatment from prevention through crisis with goals of wellness and recovery this includes the thirty thousand includes 73 hundred that visits psych care every year a that's the severely and chronically schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. decades ago those are people that would have been locked up for years and years, however, thanks to improvements in treatment reform the commitment laws and the doctrine of the laeftd restrictive they've been

treated in our outpatient treatment unfortunately, that leafs behind a small number of patients they k3467b9 refuse treatment and others demonstrate success often several years at that time, but not able to stay in the treatment not recognize or remember they have a chronic illnesses oftentimes after a year of or two of treatment they don't need it and stop seeing the treatment team and go off the treatment and start to deteriorate the next step they have their families and friends trying to get them back this only end when the police arrest them on the 5150 or harming

themselves or others do i hear a motion to approve the minutes at that point in time at that point, they become homeless and typically require treatment to restables. this insight is not a character trait or a political opinion such patients see it in other people not themselves it's not a deficit of intelligence we've treated severely chronic will i ill people that have degrees in psychy. this reflects a problem. which is just greek for no knowledge of the disease and not understand the deficit of a minldz and it is seen when a

person has a paddlers arm and seen in dementia and agreeing schizophrenia it represents deterioration. but the important thing once we recognize this way to we can structure the damage. laura's law is an outpatient treatment designed for two inteenlz to do if number one external support and motivation to the patient internal essence of maflgs when a judge says you need to do this that makes is an expression the second is if the motivation fails the treatment

team will be enabled and the family to intervention in a patient drops out of treatment if caught quickly this kind of deterioration can be referred in twenty-four hours within the emergency service and the patient maybe not having problems. the number of patient in san francisco it qualify for laura's law is small maybe one hundred but ouch extremely high yourselves of ambulance and in patient services and incarcerated and with laura's law in place we hope to see the reduction in arrests and others problems with people who are deteriorating and not seeking treatment. thank you very much

(clapping.) thank you very much dr. and i want to call of the vice president as wilcox has been incredible source of support thank you very much >> hi i'm randell i represents psychiatrists about 35 hundred of them it's observed from dr. russel testimony psychiatrists have to deal with people who are neglected they and they're very, very sick psychiatrists around the state staff the emergency department and the emergency service department they're the in patient psychiatrists in the state hospitals and state prisons and because of those positions psychiatrists know as well as anyone whoops when you

negligent people they end up in the institutions and they're very, very difficult to treat at the late stage, if you will, career. if you look at those individuals and trace back the story of any particular one you will find missed opportunities in the community to intervention in those lives or you'll find many opportunity that were not suv adequate or efficient and because of the missed opportunity those individuals end up very, very sick and it is a problem that san francisco knows well. i will give you a perm be antidote by way of explaining how i become involved i represent psychiatrists but a board member 15 years ago, i got involved the in the drafting of laura's law my own son had a

psych disorder one was the structure of a court or legal system helping treatment officials gain compliance in treatment and the other is effective services. my son was diagnosed before 16 puc. the was the most stable for 10 years during the period between when he was diagnosed and his 18th birthday i have a story similar to the one that supervisor farrell told in which he bausz because weekly probation officer would come and ask questions he'd ask my son are you baby boomer your father and seeing our psychiatrist and taking our meds. that weekly contact even though we have very, very good

certifies that weekly contract was the difference when he turned 18 he took off for 9 months and arrested in 3 couldn't and jailed three or four times even if e he was within marino and eureka and sacramento he was living on the streets. i know personally and from stories of the family how necessary it is to have an effective tool that's why psychiatrists in the state appreciate the mayor to help change the lives permanently of folks with mental illness that are two difficult the special tool of laura's a law can help 0 unfortunate outcomes. thank you

(clapping.) thank you, mr. hague arrest thank you for everyone coming in particular the wilcox family remember this is about helping individuals and this is the most compassionate community dreven process here in san francisco i look forward to get it through the board of supervisors and if not taking it to the board so we have laura's law here in san francisco. thanks everyone

>> just a few steps away from union square is a quiet corner stone of san francisco's our community to the meridian gallery has a 20-year history of supporting visual arts. experimental music concert, and also readings. >> give us this day our daily bread at least three times a day. and lead us not into temptation to often on weekdays. [laughter] >> meridians' stands apart from the commercial galleries around union square, and it is because of their core mission, to increase social, philosophical, and spiritual change my isolated individuals and communities. >> it gives a statement, the idea that a significant art of any kind, in any discipline, creates change. >> it is philosophy that

attracted david linger to mount a show at meridian. >> you want to feel like your work this summer that it can do some good. i felt like at meridian, it could do some good. we did not even talk about price until the day before the show. of course, meridian needs to support itself and support the community. but that was not the first consideration, so that made me very happy. >> his work is printed porcelain. he transfers images onto and spoils the surface a fragile shes of clay. each one, only one-tenth of an inch thick. >> it took about two years to get it down. i would say i lose 30% of the pieces that i made. something happens to them. they cracked, the break during the process. it is very complex. they fall apart. but it is worth it to me. there are photographs i took 1 hours 99 the former soviet union. these are blown up to a gigantic

images. they lose resolution. i do not mind that, because my images are about the images, but they're also about the idea, which is why there is text all over the entire surface. >> marie in moved into the mansion on powell street just five years ago. its galleries are housed in one of the very rare single family residences around union square. for the 100th anniversary of the mansion, meridian hosted a series of special events, including a world premiere reading by lawrence ferlinghetti. >> the birth of an american corporate fascism, the next to last free states radio, the next-to-last independent newspaper raising hell, the next-to-last independent bookstore with a mind of its own, the next to last leftie

looking for obama nirvana. [laughter] the first day of the wall street occupation set forth upon this continent a new revolutionary nation. [applause] >> in addition to its own programming as -- of artist talks, meridian has been a downtown host for san francisco states well-known port trees center. recent luminaries have included david meltzer, steve dixon, and jack hirsch man. >> you can black as out of the press, blog and arrest us, tear gas, mace, and shoot us, as we know very well, you will, but this time we're not turning back. we know you are finished. desperate, near the end. hysterical in your

flabbergastlyness. amen. >> after the readings, the crowd headed to a reception upstairs by wandering through the other gallery rooms in the historic home. the third floor is not usually reserved for just parties, however. it is the stage for live performances. ♪ under the guidance of musical curators, these three, meridian has maintained a strong commitment to new music, compositions that are innovative, experimental, and sometimes challenging. sound art is an artistic and event that usually receives short shrift from most galleries because san francisco is musicians have responded by showing strong support for the

programming. ♪ looking into meridian's future, she says she wants to keep doing the same thing that she has been doing since 1989. to enlighten and disturbed. >> i really believe that all the arts have a serious function and that it helps us find out who we are in a much wider sense than we were before we experienced that work of art. ♪