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Fatal shooting of mentally ill man armed with knife by Detroit police raises medical care questions
Porter Burk's family said they’ve been trying for the last three years, to get him help. He was in and out of short hospital stays – for other families like them, what do you do when you’re loved one is chronically mentally ill?
FOX 2 - Porter Burks was shot and killed by Detroit police after coming at officers wielding an 8-inch knife, shown on body camera footage Sunday.
The 20-year-old's family says they called DPD just to get him back into the hospital, wanting treatment for his schizophrenia.
"It definitely needs to be something in place for people with mental illness," said Michelle Wilson, Burks' aunt. "There is nowhere for them to go, and the police need to be trained."
Their family is now suing the department for his death, hiring high-profile attorney Geoffrey Fieger.
DPD Chief James White says that the officer at the scene who negotiated with Burks, is specially trained to handle these encounters.
"We have a mental health crisis in our city, and in our country. And we really need to help the police and address it," White said. "Because it just can't be the police."
Porter Burk's family said they’ve been trying for the last three years, to get him help. He was in and out of short hospital stays – for other families like them, what do you do when you’re loved one is chronically mentally ill?
"When I started in mental health in the late 1960s early 1970sm there were more than 30,000 chronic mental health beds in the state of Michigan. Now there are a few hundred," said Dr. Gerald Shiener.
There are just three long-stay psychiatric facilities left in Michigan.
Shiener is the head of psychiatry at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit – he says the waiting list to get into those three facilities – months, and those beds are reserved for the most ill.
If you’re loved one is chronically in mental health peril – the first step is getting them to an emergency room where psychiatric care is available.
The stay there is only to stabilize the patient they simply are not designed for more. The stay is typically a few days – before discharge.
"Know what the next step is. If there is a referral from the hospital to the clinic make sure the appointment is made, make sure your loved one keeps that appointment, make sure the hospital gives enough medicine to get to that appointment," he said.
Shiener says the most important part of the puzzle – making sure your loved one has a designated patient advocate, that can access medical information.
"It's important when your loved when goes into the hospital to get a release of information signed so you can talk to the doctor and the doctor can talk to you," he said.
Shiener says – the real key though…is securing funding to go back to model of long-term facilities instead, of interupted short hospital stays.