HONOLULU — Homeless people displaying mental health issues could be taken off the street against their will and brought in for assessment at a 3-month-old behavioral center in Iwilei if a new bill becomes law. HONOLULU — Homeless people displaying mental health issues could be taken off the street against their will and brought in for assessment at a 3-month-old behavioral center in Iwilei if a new bill becomes law. The new approach would apply to homeless people who draw both concern and scorn for their behavior, which could include wandering in traffic, yelling in public, hurling threats and generally exhibiting signs of distress, said Dr.
Chad Koyanagi, the state Health Department’s medical director for crisis continuum, who oversees patient care at the new Behavioral Health Crisis Center on Iwilei Road in Honolulu. Senate Bill 3139, which sits on Gov. Josh Green’s desk, is designed to allow law enforcement officers to spend less time with homeless patients waiting for them to be seen in emergency rooms, such as The Queen’s Medical Center, that are disproportionately used by homeless people.
Instead, officers would take homeless people directly to the new Behavioral Health Crisis Center in a process that would take five to seven minutes, Koyanagi said. The center sits in the middle of a growing complex of buildings and programs intended to help reduce homelessness by providing a wide range of services. The physical setting, atmosphere and approach by the staff at.
