Why Psychiatrists Need Involvement with Local, State and Federal Legislatures
Ravi Goklaney, MD, DLFAPA

I became involved in a political process in 2013 in Kern County.  Working with Kern County Behavioral Health from 1996 to 2010, I recognized deficiencies adversely impacting patients with severe mental illness. In 2013, I met with a Director of Behavioral Health to begin the discussion that would later spark initiatives for Laura’s Law, the Crisis Intervention Team, and the Mental Health and Drug Court in Kern County. Initially, the Director did not see my vision. Determined to provide the severely mentally ill population with community support, I built a working relationship with Kern County Medical Society Physicians, known for their involvement with political processes and was encouraged to meet with the Kern County Board of Supervisors to address my issues and, collectively, the Supervisors understood how the County, patients, and peace officers could benefit from my initiatives.  I was appointed by the County Board of Supervisors to the Behavioral Health Board in 2014 to initiate and achieve my initiatives.

My initial plan of action consisted of collecting information from other counties in California as well as other states who have already established policies and procedures for these initiatives to share with the Board.  I was able to educate 11 other members of the Behavioral Health Board on these policies and procedures and they unanimously agreed.  A task committee was established.  We met once a month to come to a mutual agreement to achieve these goals and an agreement was achieved in 15 months.  Within 18 months of my involvement with the Behavioral Health Board, a final document was created and signed by the chief of each department in Kern County to implement Laura’s Law, the Crisis Intervention Team, and the Mental Health and Drug Court in Kern County.  Since then, the severely mentally ill, instead of incarceration, can be sent to the community divergent program.  The Crisis Intervention Team has been extremely helpful as the MET team from KCBHS and peace officers work together to assess a psychiatric emergency when emergency lines are called.  As a result, severely mentally ill patients and peace officers have mutually benefited. 

I will strongly encourage my peers in every county to build working relationships with government officials to initiate and implement policies and procedures in the best interest to the patients, their families, and the community at large.