"I went down there to see what this looks like and I met Giovanni Figueroa. He's a social worker for the county who spends his days looking for and building trust with people with psychotic illness. He builds trust one bottle of water, one hamburger at a time. Sometimes it can take six months or more before someone finally says, 'OK, I'll go see the doctor. OK, I'll think about taking medication.' He is incredibly patient and devoted to his clients."
"His approach looks completely different from any other I have ever seen in the healthcare system - which is basically 'take it or leave it.' He continues to show up for people, over and over, no matter what. It's not a quick fix by any means and time will tell if it ultimately works. But this story showed me a different way of doing things is possible. Giovanni is an inspiration."
California has implemented new policies to make it easier to coerce people with serious mental illness into treatment, including a program called Care Court. Orange County volunteered to pilot the program but opposes forced treatment, favoring investment in long-term relationships and coaxing rather than coercion. County social worker Giovanni Figueroa builds trust with people with psychotic illness through patient, persistent outreach—providing food and water and showing up repeatedly—sometimes waiting six months before clients agree to see a doctor or consider medication. Southern sea otters face potential new threats if endangered-species protections are weakened.
Read at Kqed
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