Tuesday, January 10th, 2006...4:05 pm
Kino Hospital Bond Election
I attended a meeting of the Pima County Board of Supervisors this morning. The biggest item that was being discussed was whether or not to place the selling of bonds for Kino Hospital on the ballot.
$54 Million in bonds will be on the ballot in May. $18 Million will go to expanding the emergency room, with the remainder going into building a new psychiatric facility.
Among the people that spoke on behalf of the bonds was Sheriff Clarence Dupnik. Dupnik and other law enforcement professionals believe that up to 10% of the jail population is mentally ill. Dupnik said that the jail is acting as the largest mental health facility in Southern Arizona. This is of, course, totally unacceptable. Dupnik hopes that an expanded Kino Hospital will both ease the burden on law enforcement and be a great resource for the community.
There also was a rather poignant speech by a gentleman who is both diabetic and bipolar. There are services available for his physical illness, but they are not as available for his mental illness.
Vice-Mayor Steve Leal forcefully spoke on behalf of the bonds as well. Those of us that know Leal were suprised that he kept his comments well under the three minute limit.
Representatives from South Tucson and Marana were also there to support the bond issue.
Although the issue passed unanamously, there was some concern about “tying” these bonds to the probably more contraversial Regional Transportation Plan. The items will be on the same ballot but voted on seperately, so they aren’t really tied. Having the issues on the same ballot will bring out more voters and heighten public interest, which can only be a good thing.
By the way, I don’t know where I am on the transportation issue. Frankly, it is mostly because I haven’t taken the time to look at it closely. I am very concerned about plans for the Grant Corridor and how they may effect businesses and residents. However, I am reassured to see that Steve Farley has taken an interest in shaping the way the plan wil be carried out.
This morning’s meeting was a really great moment for the community. Not a single speaker spoke in opposition, and everyone there had banded together for services for people who are often forgotten.
NB - I spoke to Supervisor Ray Carroll, who told me he is a reader of this blog. I knew that his galloglass, Scott Egan, is a reader as he has posted before. Geez, there’s another local politico I can’t talk smack about. Who knows? This may leave me with no option but to run for office myself.
8 Comments
January 10th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
Gosh, Ted, it sounds like a great meeting, but you missed the big story– how come Jim Weiers knows how to get hold of a guy in Louisiana who he says can clear him, but he isn’t willing to share his location with the Mesa police department.
Not wanting the police to find and interview a guy who you claim could clear you– that adds up like a deuce and two kings in a game of blackjack.
January 11th, 2006 at 8:35 am
Gosh…you’re right…I shouldn’t write anything about the need in my community for mental health services for the indigent. Instead, I should throw a couple of bombs at Jim Weiers way.
I’m sorry if the troubles of the poor and mentally ill in Southern Arizona don’t interest you.
January 11th, 2006 at 9:10 am
Pima County seems to like to pass bond elections, so I would think that the Kino one will do well. Especially since Dupnik is supporting it. I think that if his message gets out, the voters will follow him. As far a the emergency room goes, we have had to go to the emergency room there, and the doctors were very good. The equipment seemed old. You never know when you will need to go to an emergency room or what part of town you will be in at the time, and you always want the closest one to be as up to date as possible.
As far as the transportation plan, nothing is perfect, but there are some good parts to it. It has the modern streetcar in it, which will link a number of major trip centers and drive new housing along the route. Plus, all those people living on the northwest side can’t drive on those little farm roads forever.
January 11th, 2006 at 9:26 am
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January 11th, 2006 at 9:35 am
He did not give a lesson in Philosopy?
January 11th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Well said, Tedski. I for one am glad you posted this. The sheriff is right. Mental illness is the root cause of a lot of crime, not just in Pima, but all over Az. Too often the mentally ill can’t get treatment so they self-medicate with drugs, which then leads to crime. There are very few services available for so-called “dual diagnosis” patients who are mentally ill and drug addicted. If we can increase the number of programs available to that population, we would do our communities a great service and reduce crime rates dramatically.
January 11th, 2006 at 10:37 am
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January 11th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
No, Ted I think you missed my point. I’m not arguing the importance of Kino Hospital.
I was just looking forward to your keen parsing of the scandal around the speaker. You seem to know more than most about Arizona politics, and if there is an undercurrent I don’t know about, I find it first on your blog.