As judge considers holding state in contempt, Md. health secretary defends psychiatric care

Maryland’s top health official spent more than 90 minutes in court Tuesday morning defending the pace at which the state is moving mentally ill criminal defendants out of jail and into treatment.

A Baltimore judge is weighing whether to hold the state in contempt for failing to follow court orders to immediately move those individuals into treatment. At times, they have languished in jail for months waiting for space to open in one of the state-run psychiatric hospitals.

Acting Health Secretary Dennis Schrader testified that he’s making some administrative changes and directing his staff to shuffle resources to open up room for more patients.

“It’s not going fast enough for me,” Schrader said.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/health/bs-md-schrader-mental-health-beds-20170815-story.html