The Essential Role of Medicaid and Criminal Justice [HuffingtonPost.com]

This past month America’s first mental health court celebrated its 20th anniversary. The behind the scenes story, which led to the creation of Broward’s Mental Health Court, is a case-study of the need to preserve and expand Medicaid from a criminal justice perspective; and what happens when people in need of mental health and primary care are left behind. Aaron Wynn, a young man living in South Florida, was preparing to leave for college. According to his family, Aaron loved the ocean, his friends and playing sports. In the spring of 1989, he was struck by a car while riding his motorcycle. He sustained serious injuries. The most profound was the traumatic brain injury he endured which changed the course of his life and that of his family. For years, his parents pled for mental health care for their son. Aaron’s condition continued to deteriorate. He lost his memory and was unable to regulate his behavior. His family lived-in terror, waiting for crisis. Crisis occurred when Aaron was arrested after an argument with a police officer, and an Order by a judge to commit Aaron to a forensic hospital for competency restoration. According to expert legal testimony, Aaron spent over two and a half years in seclusion and restraint in a Florida Forensic Hospital. When he was released in 1991, his mental illness had worsened. Aaron was discharged from the forensic hospital with no linkage to community-based residential treatment and services.