2026-09-30 - Public Health & Environment Committee

00:05Good afternoon. Good afternoon,

00:06everyone. Thank you all so much for

00:08being here. Um, I am Councilwoman

00:10Felicia Porter representing the 10th

00:12district and chairperson for this

00:14committee. As a reminder, please mute or

00:16turn off all of your cell phones today.

00:19Joining us in the chamber, we have

00:21council person Mark Conway from the

00:23fourth district.

00:24>> We have Councilman Mark Parker from the

00:26fourth district.

00:28>> First district. first district, excuse

00:30me. [laughter]

00:31>> And then we also have Councilman John

00:33Bullock from the ninth district. And we

00:35have several representatives from the

00:36mayor's office and city council's city

00:38council president's office. And we are

00:41staffed by Margaret Curran. Just as a

00:43reminder, today we are experiencing some

00:45technical issues. Therefore, we're

00:47holding the hearing in the Reeves Room

00:49Conference Reeves conference room. If

00:51anyone who is watching on Charm TV

00:53experiences any audio issues, please

00:56visit the legisar portal and tune in on

00:59WebEx. Today on the agenda, we are

01:02holding a hearing on council bill

01:0426-0225,

01:07the mental health resource awareness

01:09act. And this is for their purpose of

01:11establishing the mental health resources

01:13awareness act awareness program

01:15requiring specific information to be

01:17posted at certain businesses or certain

01:19city buildings. Requiring specified

01:22employees to distribute certain

01:23information regarding mental health

01:25resources requiring specific employees

01:27to take a certain training establishing

01:30certain penalties defining certain terms

01:32and generally relating to mental health

01:34resource awareness. This bill is

01:36sponsored by myself and so I am really

01:39excited that we are here today. Thank

01:41you so much for our uh partners that

01:44really brought this legislation to

01:46light. This bill is something that is

01:48near and dear to my heart. It's it's

01:50ensuring that Baltimore residents have

01:52real visible access to mental health

01:54support and also in the most urgent

01:58times that they may need it. Too often

02:00we expect people to go looking for help

02:02at the very moment they are least able

02:04to do so. This bill reflects a simple

02:06but important principle. Help should

02:08already be there. It should be at the

02:10counter of our liquor store liquor

02:12stores in the lobbies of our city

02:14buildings and at the hands of our first

02:15responders who are trained to recognize

02:17when someone may be struggling. The

02:19Mental Health Resource Awareness Act

02:21establishes a new mental health resource

02:23awareness program within the mayor's

02:25office of overdose response with the

02:27authority to partner with outside

02:29organizations to carry out this work. It

02:31requires city-owned buildings to post

02:33notice in English and Spanish promoting

02:35the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline. It

02:38directs the agencies that regularly

02:40interact with members of the public to

02:42distribute walletsiz 988 resource cards

02:45to residents who may benefit and to

02:47train their public-f facing employees to

02:49recognize when someone may need support

02:51and how to have this conversation. This

02:54legislation does not ask our agencies to

02:56start from scratch. I want to thank

02:58Sarah and the BC more office um because

03:00they're already doing this. We want to

03:02make sure that this is an opportunity

03:04for this good work to be codified and

03:08also to ensure that the practice is

03:10consistent. This program intentionally

03:12is designed to be low burden yet high

03:15impact. Equivalent professional training

03:17can satisfy that requirement and

03:19readymade materials that are readily

03:21available through the 988 lifeline. I

03:23want to thank our partners at Carepoint

03:25Response and BHSB for working with us in

03:29on this piece of legislation. As we go

03:31through these presentations, ask

03:33yourself, is there an opportunity for us

03:36to do more? Is there an opportunity for

03:38us to really have lowhanging fruit to

03:42share this information with all of our

03:44neighbors in Baltimore City to ensure

03:46that mental health is not prioritized

03:48after the fact, it is prioritized on the

03:51front end. So, we will go into public

03:54testimony. I believe I have one person

03:56here to testify today. Uh, Miss T.

03:59Scott, I want to invite you into the

04:01Reeves room so that you can properly

04:02testify um amongst agency heads. If you

04:06could join us

04:08and for the public's knowledge, we

04:10provide public testimony at the

04:12beginning of our hearings in the public

04:14health and environment committee to

04:16ensure um that agencies are being

04:19responsive to community. And so,

04:21Tiffany, thank you so much for being

04:23here today. You will have two minutes to

04:26share your testimony.

04:36Thank you. Uh, good afternoon, chair,

04:38members of the council, and supporters.

04:40My name is Tiffany Scott. I am the

04:42mother of Tiara Micah and the founder of

04:45the Merlin Perry Advisory Council

04:46Incorporated. I urge a favorable report

04:49on council bill 26225

04:52for the mental health resource awareness

04:54act. Baltimore is committed to being a

04:56trauma-informed city must extend to how

04:59we connect with residents and families

05:01with support. Our city has dedicated to

05:03people and organizations serving the

05:05community. Yet families remain

05:07underserved, carrying invisible barriers

05:10such as grief, trauma, loneliness, and

05:12challenges because of their emotional

05:14health and well-being. Too often,

05:16families and loved ones and supporters

05:17struggle without knowing where to turn

05:19or where they can seek support without

05:21stigma, shame or judgment. We lost two

05:23daughters in this city while residing in

05:26their own home. And after loss, my

05:29family and I were left without guidance

05:30or resource or access for support. As a

05:33mother and peer professional, I became a

05:35988 ambassador. Why? because I

05:38understand that response, inclusiveness,

05:40and support must be available before,

05:43during, and after a crisis. This act uh

05:46brings information into everyday places,

05:49posting 988 resources, in businesses, in

05:52city buildings in English and in Spanish

05:54is important. We must continue to

05:56support loved ones in order to sustain

05:58the lives in the city. This bill this

06:00bill also requires training for public

06:02facing um facing individuals such as

06:05police and fire and neighborhood safety

06:07and homelessness services. We all need

06:09these supports. As a person from lived

06:11experience, I understand public health

06:13and safety pro professionals may

06:15encounter someone such as myself during

06:17a medical emergency and this can

06:19actually save a life. So I impact on

06:22behalf of Impact and myself, I ask for a

06:24favorable report for this act. Thank you

06:27so much. Thank you so much, Tiffany. And

06:29I I just want to uh elevate the

06:32collaboration that you have had with my

06:34office in relation to this bill. And

06:36colleagues, um if you don't know impact,

06:38please please please know Impact and the

06:40great work that Tiffany is doing.

06:48>> Two minutes.

06:49>> There we go. Thank you. And the great

06:51work. [laughter]

06:52It's the beauty page in y'all. the great

06:54the great work that that Tiffany is

06:56doing across the city. So, I just want

06:58to give you your flowers in person and

07:00say thank you. Thank you. All right.

07:03Next, we're going to turn it over to our

07:04presentations. We have presentations

07:07from CarPoint uh response. And so,

07:10Jonathan, I'm going to turn it over to

07:12you, sir.

07:37Good afternoon everyone. Uh my name is

07:39Jonathan Davis and I am the uh chief

07:41executive officer for Care Point

07:43response. Happy to be here to uh support

07:46this bill and a super thank you and

07:49appreciation to Councilwoman Porter for

07:53um responding to my emails uh and and

07:56jumping on making this uh bill uh

07:59something very real for the city. U I

08:01deeply appreciate councilwoman you're

08:03framing around that this is low

08:05burdisome and high impact. we really

08:08have an opportunity here with very low

08:10effort to make a real difference uh in

08:13our particular city. So the questions

08:15that we should be asking ourselves at

08:18the moment of crisis is the fastest path

08:20to help visible or have people had an

08:23opportunity to see and know what that

08:26path to help is. And so 988 is that

08:29opportunity for us to provide visibility

08:33for support uh to people who may need

08:36that particular type of service. Next

08:38slide. Slide please.

08:43So why is this important?

08:45Suicide is a current Baltimore public

08:48health problem. This is something that

08:50we know and we see and we feel uh each

08:53and every day. Um a a research uh from

08:572024 indicated that uh 44 men died of

09:01suicide in Baltimore City and 16 women

09:04died of suicide in u Baltimore City.

09:07These are not just abstract numbers.

09:09These are people and these and this bill

09:13is an opportunity for us to put the

09:14right resources in front of individuals

09:17who are considering suicide so that we

09:19don't have 44 more men committing

09:21suicide if we don't have 16 more women

09:24committing suicide in our city.

09:27Next slide please.

09:32So, NAMI National conducted an

09:34interesting um analysis um this year and

09:41what we saw from that analysis is that

09:4390 98 recognition is growing but it's

09:47still lagging and that there's still

09:48opportunity to increase awareness and

09:51get information out there. What's

09:54interesting is that out of the pool of

09:56people they surveyed, 29% of the people

10:00were familiar with 98

10:03and 74% of those people uh had heard of

10:07it before. But what's even more

10:09interesting is that 17% of those people

10:12noted that public posting and signage is

10:16how they learned about 98. And so what

10:18we see here is that signage is already

10:21part of the awareness journey. However,

10:23this bill will allow us to make it more

10:25robust.

10:28Next slide, please.

10:35Also, the time in which people decide to

10:38commit suicide and their attempt uh is a

10:42significant factor. Um in a very

10:45interesting research by the journal of

10:47clinical psychiatry,

10:49they interview a number of people in the

10:52hospital who had attempted suicide. And

10:54what they learned there is that between

10:57between deciding to commit suicide and

11:00them accessing means is about 10

11:02minutes. 10 minutes. And so those

11:06individuals typically are already not

11:08thinking clear. And so within 10

11:11minutes, right, we want to make sure

11:13that people don't have to think too much

11:15about how do I get the best next help

11:18for me, right? And so we have this very

11:20short window to make sure that people

11:22have been uh educated uh and also is

11:25aware of the next step. And so 98 having

11:28that posted, you know, in places where

11:31people already go, people frequent,

11:34hopefully they retain that information

11:36that 98 is here to help. And within that

11:3910 minutes hopefully they can remember

11:41that and access help.

11:44Next slide please.

11:51So what I am uh suggesting requesting

11:53that the notice must be very clear uh

11:56and also to note that 98 is more than

11:59just for suicide right but I do want to

12:02caution that we don't frame 98 as 911

12:06for mental health. uh because that that

12:09particular mental model has created some

12:11issues around people understanding what

12:1398 is. 98 is the service. People call 98

12:18to receive services around emotional

12:20support and 98 is not simply a dispatch

12:24services for people who may need um um

12:28behavioral health supports in the

12:30community. We have that option here in

12:32Baltimore City and we appreciate that.

12:34But 98 is the service and we need to

12:37make sure that that is clearly

12:39communicated on whatever postage that we

12:41provide to the community.

12:45Next slide please.

12:50And so the good thing is that we know

12:52988 helps and there are a number of um

12:57studies and institutions really looking

13:00into the effectiveness of the service.

13:03And so another interesting study that

13:05was conducted uh where there were

13:07follow-up calls and out of that pool of

13:10people about 97% of people said that

13:13calling 98 helped them. Right? And and

13:16that's a good number. We want to hear

13:18that. And also about 88% of those people

13:21said 98 stopped them from committing

13:24suicide.

13:26And so we see that the program and the

13:28service is really helpful and is

13:30impactful uh to the community.

13:34Next slide, please.

13:38And I think we have to be very

13:40intentional about where we post um 98

13:45information. We want to make sure that

13:47wherever there are lethal means that

13:49there's an opportunity to place 98

13:52information there. whether it be uh

13:54firearm dealers, gun ranges, pun shops,

13:58uh and sporting goods stores. We also

14:01want to make sure that where we know

14:03that there are known risks that there's

14:05also opportunities to post 98 signage

14:08such as such as liquor stores, casinos,

14:11sporting ranges, and uh lottery

14:13locations. And also we want to make sure

14:15where we know populations may experience

14:18vulnerability and also to increase all

14:20reach places like youth centers and

14:24schools and colleges and shelters and

14:26re-entry programs will also be a good

14:29opportunity to post signage.

14:33Next slide please.

14:36So one more chance to pause connect and

14:39survive. This is really simple. um

14:43lowhanging fruit, low burden for the

14:45city, high impact. Make sure that we in

14:49many places

14:51expose people to 98 as the next best

14:54step for them if they are seeking any

14:56type of support related to emotion and

14:59behavioral health.

15:01>> Thank you.

15:03>> Thank you so much, Jonathan. And I just

15:05want to commend you on your work um in

15:07in this in this space as well. I know

15:09you all have been working for some time

15:12um to really get people to understand

15:14988 um to get people to understand it

15:16from a community perspective. So, thank

15:18you so much for your leadership and your

15:19work in this matter. [snorts]

15:21Next, I'm going to turn it over to

15:23Adrian and Dan from Behavioral Health

15:25Systems Baltimore.

15:30>> Great. Thank you. Um hello, Councilwoman

15:32Porter, committee members. It's great to

15:34be with you. Uh my name is Dan Rabbit.

15:36the policy director for behavioral

15:38health system Baltimore.

15:41Um it's great to follow follow on what

15:44Jonathan shared. We'll just provide a

15:45little more context from the system

15:47level on just how important 988 is and

15:50uh raising public awareness of 988 is.

15:54Next slide, please.

15:56[clears throat] So, Behavioral Health

15:57System Baltimore uh just uh to remind

15:59everyone is a nonprofit that serves as

16:02the local behavioral health authority

16:03here in Baltimore City. Um we have a

16:06number of roles and functions. Uh one of

16:08the most important things that we do is

16:10manage public funds and partner with

16:12local providers and um we've been very

16:14involved in the roll out and

16:16implementation of 988 since it launched

16:18back in 2022. Next slide please.

16:22Um we've made a lot of progress since

16:252022. Um calls have steadily gone up. Uh

16:30we've added text capacity here in

16:33Baltimore. Um we are now receiving about

16:364,000 calls every month to 988 and uh

16:40the service that folks receive when they

16:41call is effective like Jonathan was

16:43saying uh 85% of people have their needs

16:48their needs met on the phone. So it

16:50doesn't require any further resources to

16:53be dispatched. These will be folks who

16:55receive counseling, you know, problem

16:57solve, get some ideas for resources and

17:01uh are able to be safe and stable just

17:04through that counseling. And then um

17:06there's also follow-up calls to make

17:08sure that that they're doing okay and

17:10that the plan that they came up with is

17:12uh moving ahead fine. Um so 98 is going

17:16well, but more people could benefit from

17:18it. So anything we can do in the city to

17:21raise awareness is a is a great idea.

17:23Next slide, please.

17:25Uh Jonathan mentioned a national survey.

17:28We did a survey here in Baltimore that

17:31uh showed only 11% of respondents could

17:34identify 988 when asked like what is the

17:37emergency phone number for mental

17:38health. 33% recognized 988 when when it

17:42was shared with them. They're like, "Oh

17:43yeah, that's that's the number." But we

17:45have a lot more work to do obviously. Uh

17:48some good news that came out of the

17:49survey though is that um many people

17:52most people who have used the service

17:54would use it again would recommend it

17:56and uh that most people see it as a

17:58helpful and important resource. Next

18:01slide.

18:03So we know 98 works and it's important

18:05and people are using it more and more

18:08but we need to be doing more doing

18:10everything we can as a city as partners

18:13to raise awareness. Uh BHSB has been

18:16doing community engagement and training

18:18since before 2022 when it launched.

18:20We're going to continue to do that, but

18:22I think uh this bill really complements

18:25those efforts and can build off of the

18:28trainings and materials that that uh

18:31we've already put in place. um those

18:34sorts of trainings and um you know the

18:37ability to to speak about 98 is an

18:40important way to build trust with the

18:42community and help folks not only just

18:44recognize 988 but be familiar and

18:46comfortable with using it. Next slide

18:49please. Uh we also have lots of uh swag

18:52and merch we've already made. Uh we've

18:54probably given a lot of it to y'all

18:55already. Um, but we have flyers and fact

18:58sheets and postcards and chip clips and

19:00magnets and pens. And so, you know,

19:04these are things that we can build off

19:05of uh in terms of thinking about what

19:08else we would want to have to distribute

19:11uh to community members about 988. Next

19:14slide, please.

19:16This is just something we're really

19:17proud of. We we uh commissioned a a

19:20mural. This is in Pen North that's

19:22advertising uh 988 and features some

19:26some community members and community

19:29institutions. Um so this is one creative

19:32way that we're we're implementing to

19:34raise awareness. Um and this bill is

19:37just going to provide that many more

19:39touch points, that many more

19:40opportunities to see the number and be

19:42reminded what it's there for. Next

19:44slide, please. And so just in closing,

19:47we we're in strong support of this bill.

19:50Um, in reading the the ordinance, the

19:53language that is in there looks pretty

19:55good for the sign. Um, it does what

19:58Jonathan was saying, like it it

19:59emphasizes the 988 is not just for

20:01suicide, it's for anxiety, it's for

20:03grief, it's for money problems, it's for

20:05relationship problems. So, you think

20:06that's great that that's on there. the

20:09uh locations that are required are wise

20:13locations to to post these signs and um

20:18you having city agency staff and city

20:20buildings as part of our ecosystem

20:22that's raising awareness of 988 is a is

20:25a great idea as well. So, we're in

20:27strong support and look forward to to

20:29working with the city to to try to make

20:31this happen.

20:32>> Thank you so much, Daniel. Um I really

20:34appreciate you all being here. You all

20:35have been consistent partners in this

20:37committee. Um, so just want to thank you

20:39for your leadership and the systems

20:41level thinking of how we can really

20:43transform the ecosystem of behavioral

20:45health in the city of Baltimore. So

20:46really appreciate you all being here

20:48today. Next, I'm going to go to agency

20:50reports. We're going to first start with

20:52the law department.

20:55>> Thank you, Chair Porter. Jeff Hawktler

20:57with the law department. And as

20:58explained in the report, we can approve

21:00the bill for form and legal sufficiency.

21:01>> Thank you so much. The finance

21:03department.

21:04>> Good afternoon, Madam Chair. Gabriel

21:06Syitz from the finance department. Um we

21:09support the we're supportive of the

21:10intent of the legislation. While we were

21:12not able to complete a full fiscal note,

21:15we can report out on several key areas

21:17of where we believe costs will lie. Uh

21:19the first area is the signage. Um the

21:22translation will be minimal. It can most

21:24likely be handled by MIMA through their

21:26course of doing business. Um when we

21:29[clears throat]

21:30we approached the print shop, it was

21:32around $200 for 500 flyers. Um and we

21:35assume that posting can be absorbed

21:36within existing resources. Um training

21:40uh of city employees. The mo uh the

21:43practicum will have to be written and

21:45created by the city office. We are not

21:48quite sure how much that will cost yet.

21:49We're working to figure that out. As

21:51well as how much it might cost to upload

21:53it into workday and be a part.

21:56>> No, I'm saying that's correct. You're

21:58right. I was agreeing with

21:59>> Okay. Um as well as how much it'll if

22:03that will have a cost. Um, we also want

22:05to work with agencies to make sure that

22:06there's no duplication of training and

22:08see how we can integrate it into their

22:10um annual or their training purposes.

22:14Uh, for enforcement, we understand that

22:16while currently the city police have um

22:19enforcement authority, it will be

22:21removed. Um we just want to make sure

22:22that the when an agency is inserted if

22:25it is the department of neighborhood

22:26safety that uh the that will have to

22:30have um citation authority as well as

22:32the positions that can actually write

22:34the citations and that will have a cost.

22:36Um in the past people have been uh

22:38agencies have been given um that like

22:41authority are required to uh give

22:44citations. However, they didn't have

22:45that um the appropriate positions. And

22:48so it's important that we make sure that

22:50those positions exist and that they are

22:52fund that they will have a cost. And

22:55while we don't think this will have um

22:57you know this isn't for revenue there

22:59will be some sort there might be some

23:01sort of revenue with uh ensuring that

23:04businesses uh are compliant. There's and

23:07finally distribution costs uh costs will

23:09be pending on the material design. Um if

23:12the material that we distribute are

23:14similar to what the sign the sign is in

23:16the um as specified in the legislation

23:18it probably won't be more than what it

23:21will be an ongoing cost but not much

23:22more than what we uh discussed to post

23:25in city buildings.

23:26>> Wonderful. Thank you so much Gabe. And

23:28just for recordeping you all are going

23:30to provide that report after as posted

23:32on litterar correct?

23:36>> Yeah we need to gather more information

23:37but once we do we will.

23:39>> Perfect. Just want to make sure. All

23:40right. um the mayor's office of overdose

23:42response.

23:52>> Thank you so much, Chair Porter and

23:54council members. Um our agency report

23:57includes um support of the bill with a

23:59few considerations.

24:01Um we support the values behind this

24:05bill and ultimately the goal. Um they

24:07are very much aligned with the work of

24:09BC Moore. um both through the opioid

24:12restitution fund and through our work

24:13with paragraph 97 of the city's consent

24:16decree. Um a few of these considerations

24:18are operational. Um I do want to point

24:21out that the city has invested $10

24:23million in the in BHSB through an OF

24:27grant um for 988 marketing and

24:30education. Um so in considering the the

24:34agency's role in this bill and BHSBs I

24:37think there is an opportunity to to

24:39think about how we work together um

24:42specifically around the training. I

24:44think one of the things that we have

24:46seen within paragraph 97 and existing um

24:50roll out of of 988 uh dissemination

24:54through our our agencies um having a

24:58BHSB and CarPoint as the operator of 988

25:01in the city really helping to develop

25:03that training um through existing

25:06investment um and through the existing

25:08marketing campaign I think could be

25:09really helpful rather than that coming

25:11from us. We really um appreciate the the

25:15knowledge that you all have about the

25:18service that you provide. Um and I think

25:21having that partnership is really

25:23important. Um and the bill does lay out

25:25that partnership how BC Moore can

25:27partner with outside organizations. But

25:29given given the strong financial

25:31investment that the city has already

25:32made in 988 education, I think there's

25:35an opportunity to leverage some of that

25:37funding um for this within that existing

25:41um grant agreement. Um, I think with

25:44that as well with uh the language in in

25:47the bill, BHSB is working on on the new

25:50marketing campaign um and would not want

25:53us to limit um what is being developed

25:57now by putting specific language in the

25:59bill. So, a little bit more flexibility

26:01in that language I think could be

26:02helpful as well. Um I think the other

26:05big thing to point out um around this is

26:09that our office is fully funded out of

26:12the OF. So any additional administrative

26:15support that our office would be

26:17spending to support um the the roll out

26:20of this um would be directly funded out

26:22of. So just an an important

26:24consideration.

26:25>> Thank you so much Sarah. And I I I truly

26:27believe we're aligned in that respect.

26:29So really leveraging careoint and BHSB

26:32within the existing contract. I think

26:34there is room there. Um given the uh

26:37financial um the finance update that was

26:41just shared by Gabe, I definitely think

26:43we can we can move into that respect.

26:45And I also want to leverage the existing

26:47infrastructure within the city council.

26:48So you all have done such a great job

26:50with uh leveraging community based

26:52organizations, the council's offices

26:54with getting that um with getting that

26:57information out there. And I know my

26:58colleagues, particularly within this

27:00committee, they canvas. And so we can we

27:03can begin to leverage some of the

27:04council's offices in in getting that

27:07engagement out to community within our

27:09within our um within our network. So I

27:11wholly agree um with you and your bill

27:14report. Um Department of Housing and

27:16Community Development.

27:19>> Thank you, Madam Chair. Jason Wright

27:20representing DHCD. We respectfully stand

27:23behind our favorable bill report. Um

27:25little bit of background on that there.

27:26Our read was we don't see this impacting

27:29us operationally and whenever possible

27:31we like to support legislation. Thank

27:33you.

27:37>> I appreciate you. [clears throat]

27:39I was trying not to laugh. Thank Thank

27:42you so much. and and my thought process

27:44with with including DHCD is we have a

27:47number of senior living facilities and

27:50also um given that you all have under

27:53your office currently um some of the

27:55food service operations across the city,

27:58this will be a great way to integrate

27:59within um within that operation as well.

28:03>> Um I can go back and coordinate with the

28:05broader team and the individuals with

28:07those programs. we our our read of it

28:10and we kind of ran it through with our

28:11our legal team was we thought that it

28:12applied to the agencies that were listed

28:15um if

28:16>> but you know I think big

28:17>> yeah if it's expanded beyond that um I

28:19could definitely coordinate with

28:20everybody and we can factor that in and

28:21coordinate with the department of

28:22finance if that would have any financial

28:24impacts

28:24>> sure it can just be a card in a bag

28:27that's all um the fire department

28:31>> uh good afternoon madam chair ladies and

28:33gentlemen for the record my name is

28:34James Matz I'm the assistant chief of

28:36EMS the fire department did submit a

28:38report, a favorable report. We stand by

28:40that report and stand by to answer any

28:42questions you may have. Ma'am,

28:43>> thank you so much. Um, for the public's

28:46knowledge, again, uh, the Baltimore City

28:48Police Department, um, I've requested as

28:50a bill sponsor for them to be removed,

28:52um, from the bill, and so they will not

28:55have an official report today. We'll go

28:57to the mayor's office of neighborhood

28:59and safety and engagement.

29:07Good afternoon, uh, Chairwoman. Uh, Trey

29:09Hayes here from Mayor's Office of

29:10Government Relations. They stand by

29:11their favor report. Thank you so much.

29:14The mayor's office of homeless services.

29:18>> Good afternoon, everyone. Ernest Dina

29:20Simmons, the mayor's office of homeless

29:22services. We have submitted a favorable

29:24report. I just like to highlight just

29:26the work of 988 period and the BHSB team

29:30and BCRI because you've been doing this

29:32work already in our shelters and with

29:34our providers and the support has

29:36absolutely been amazing and we

29:38appreciate it.

29:40Thank you so much Director Simmons

29:42colleagues um we're going to have an

29:44opportunity to have questions um for our

29:46agency heads or myself. Um, you'll have

29:49two questions each for this round and

29:52then we'll go into the sec secondary

29:54round which is one question. So, I'll

29:57start with I'm looking at Councilwoman

29:58Ramos. She say you have questions,

30:00ma'am. All right, turn it over to you.

30:06>> Thank you, Madam Chair, and apologies

30:08for being late. Um, and thank you for

30:10your leadership on this bill. I had a

30:12question for you first, Madam Chair. um

30:14is I was seeing on page three we're

30:17talking about the requirements of the

30:18section being only applicable to liquor

30:21stores, tobacco retailers, casinos, and

30:23city- owned and operated buildings. And

30:26I heard uh Mr. Davis talking about the

30:28fact that we do need that it would be

30:29helpful to target where we're um but it

30:32seems like maybe we could put some

30:33language in here that says and others as

30:36needed or something like that. um

30:39because there may be some other

30:40opportunities uh for posting that either

30:43we have in our districts or that

30:45somebody might want or you know schools

30:47or something else or something happens

30:49where we need to um so to to because it

30:52sounds like we need to broaden the scope

30:54of the marketing and not narrow it.

30:56>> Sure. We can definitely work on some

30:58legislative language. My only concern is

31:00that if we include this, if we increase

31:02the scope, then the finance report would

31:05more than likely have to be um greater.

31:08And so we can definitely um add some

31:10language in there that broadens the

31:12scope but does not

31:15increase the costs that we have.

31:17>> And maybe we we have a process somehow

31:19and it may not necessarily be

31:21legislated, maybe regulation where it's

31:24some somebody is deciding where it goes.

31:27Um and and that way it can be done in a

31:30strategic fashion. Um

31:32>> I'm more than willing to talk through

31:33that.

31:33>> Okay, great. Thank you. I appreciate

31:35that. Um I had a question for my second

31:38question for Mr. Davis. Um thank you for

31:40that presentation. I'm I appreciate

31:42that. Did I I must be under a rock or

31:46something because I did not realize that

31:48Baltimore Crisis Response changed their

31:50name or that uh Okay. Um so can you talk

31:55a little bit through about then what the

31:58services for uh for share careoint um is

32:02it going to be exactly the same as

32:04before? What is what is that? And

32:06apologies that I completely obviously

32:08missed this.

32:10>> Yeah,

32:10>> that one doesn't work. [laughter]

32:15>> So Councilwoman Ramos, I am still

32:17introducing myself sometimes as a CEO of

32:19BCRI. So you're okay. Um, yep. So, we uh

32:24we changed our name about three months

32:25ago uh for uh philosophical reasons and

32:29and valuebased reasons. We want to lead

32:32with care and not crisis. And we want

32:34people to understand that at every point

32:36in their life that they can connect for

32:39help and don't need to be in a space

32:41where they feel like things are at their

32:43worst. Uh we are providing the exact

32:46same services. In fact, we're actually

32:47expanding uh these days and so probably

32:50providing more services uh not just to

32:53Baltimore City but across the country

32:54but the same type of services.

32:57>> I um I appreciate that. I um I guess my

33:02if I can follow up, Madam Chair, um uh

33:05as we were thinking about our crisis

33:07response services through uh 911

33:10diversion,

33:11uh you know, how does that how does your

33:13work dovetail uh with with that?

33:16>> Yeah. So, we are partnering with uh the

33:18city with 911 diversion where the 911

33:20call center um will do a warm handoff to

33:25callers who have certain behavioral

33:27health issues. Um and they have a warm

33:30handoff to our 98 call center that is

33:32still in place and hopefully will remain

33:35in place.

33:36>> But you're not going to be the ones

33:37responding to crisis.

33:39Is that right?

33:40>> Um

33:42responding in terms of like at the call

33:44center level. Yeah.

33:46>> Yeah. So, if with 911 when the 911 call

33:49center make a warm handoff to 98 that is

33:52still us answering [clears throat] those

33:53calls.

33:54>> I guess I'm asking if there's going to

33:56be a response team, an actual physical

33:59set of people that goes out to help the

34:01fire department, the police department

34:03when there's uh a crisis.

34:05>> Right. So, that's mobile response which

34:07is a a different set of services just

34:09like crisis beds is a different set of

34:12services.

34:12>> Right. I understand we were developing

34:14that. I just wasn't sure what the

34:16relationship was.

34:17>> Yep. Yep. So, so with 98, if if uh the

34:21next best step for caller is a mobile

34:24response team, we can dispatch a mobile

34:26response team. If the next best caller

34:29would be an alternative response team,

34:31we will connect them to that. If the

34:34next best step is a crisis residential

34:36bed, we will connect them to that

34:37resource.

34:38>> Right. But I understand from the crisis

34:40and well, I'm sorry. I'll I'll give up

34:42my uh and go to the next person.

34:44>> No worries. Um so Jonathan, it may be an

34:46opportunity, Councilwoman, if you don't

34:48mind um maybe providing a briefing.

34:50>> Yep.

34:51>> Okay. And so I'll make that an official

34:53committee response that they provide a

34:55briefing to your office um because I

34:56think that um Care Point, you know, I I

34:59think it's different from what you're

35:01talking about and there may be some

35:02opportunities um to not only distinguish

35:05Care Point but also kind of leverage

35:07other organizations that are doing the

35:09work that you're talking about and kind

35:10of connecting them with your office.

35:12>> Yeah. And just sort of where they fit in

35:14the ecosystem that we're trying to build

35:16on that. I'm looking at Dr. D here um as

35:19well. Thank you.

35:19>> Yes, ma'am. So, we'll make sure that

35:21happens within 30 days.

35:22>> All right. Got you.

35:23>> Thank you.

35:24>> Yes, ma'am.

35:27>> Councilman Bulock,

35:31>> is it okay if I interject? Sure.

35:34That's okay. Services. Um because I know

35:37Councilwoman Ramos, we've we've met a

35:39couple times. And so, I think at least

35:41one way that I'm thinking about it, and

35:42Jonathan, please interject if I'm wrong,

35:44is the mobile response teams when when

35:46he mentioned being in the call center,

35:47that's the embedded clinicians, right?

35:49So those are already in the call center.

35:51We are already in a space where folks

35:52can be diverted to those embedded

35:54clinicians that Care Point um employs.

35:58There's also their mobile response teams

36:00which I think were previously called

36:02mobile crisis teams. And those is that

36:04right? Okay. And those are the teams

36:06that again they have a a duty to respond

36:09if necessary if the situation calls for

36:11it within 60 minutes. So, as we're

36:14talking about the community response

36:15teams for DNS, they would be more

36:18aligned with a police or a fire response

36:21time, right? So, at 5 to 10 minutes for

36:24those more emergent mental health or

36:26behavioral health crisis. Does that

36:28answer the question?

36:29>> That helps a lot. Thank you. I

36:30appreciate it. Thank you. Look forward

36:32to further conversations. Thank you.

36:34>> Thank you so much, Dr. Dazza, Councilman

36:36Bullock.

36:37>> Oh, yes. Thank you, uh, Madam Chair. Um,

36:39thank you, Deputy Mayor, Assistant

36:40Deputy Mayor, for being here. One of the

36:42things I'm really interested in is in

36:43this um overlap between public health

36:46and public safety and particularly as we

36:48look at um as you mentioned the lethal

36:51means access. And so I'm happy that you

36:53you've mentioned that and I know that

36:54that's something that we're working on

36:56as well. Um but if you give a little

36:57more context of what that may look like

36:59in a place of lethal means like a

37:01firearms range. I know we're also

37:02talking about mental health and firearms

37:04access. So again just that overlap

37:06there.

37:08>> Yeah. So it it could be a simple postit

37:11in in all of um all of the places that

37:14have uh privileges and rights to sell

37:17guns and other lethal meanings or it

37:20could be a requirement of um when

37:24packaging um whatever they purchase put

37:27a card in that. Um so I mean there's a

37:30ton of options that we could do. We're

37:33not asking or I I would not suggest that

37:36um these lethal means operators like

37:39talk to people about 98 and you know

37:42train them on 98 but just a simple

37:44postage in in their facility somewhere

37:47uh would be helpful or maybe some cards

37:49that are that's by the um register or

37:52something like that where people can uh

37:54select to take with them or not.

37:57any additional thoughts, but just think

37:58about even some of the followup that's

38:00going to be needed for people who may be

38:01struggling and you I just think about

38:03how we screen that if there's any way to

38:04to be intentional about the folks who

38:06may be having that challenge then are

38:08seeking out weapons or what have you in

38:10that space, but we can talk more about

38:11that.

38:12>> Yeah. And I will also add um the great

38:15thing about 98 is that we will talk

38:17>> Yep.

38:18>> through that with people. And so all we

38:20want like constituents to do is to say,

38:22"Hey, call 98." Like that's all we want

38:25people to do and we'll take care of it

38:26after that.

38:28>> Yeah,

38:28>> definitely. Thank you so much,

38:29Councilman. All right, Councilman

38:31Parker.

38:36>> Thank you, Madam Chair, and everybody. I

38:38really appreciate you bringing this

38:39before us. Just some small things

38:41relative to the bill proper. Um, in

38:44reference to to council person Ramos's

38:47question around the expansiveness of it,

38:49my understanding, correct me if I'm

38:50wrong, but looking at the law department

38:52um uh report on this is that uh the

38:56reason that that the posting

38:58requirements are requirements for these

39:00places is because we can requirement

39:02require it because it met a three-fold

39:03legal status terms like whereas we can't

39:05require it of everybody. uh we can

39:08suggest it. We can print extra copies

39:09and hand them out. We can do the

39:10canvasing you mentioned, but that these

39:12are the ones we can require.

39:13>> That is correct. And so that's why I was

39:15saying, you know, there could be an

39:17opportunity for additional language.

39:18Just making sure that it does not um

39:21overstep our boundaries as a city, but

39:24also making sure for me that we can

39:26leverage

39:28quite honestly council's offices.

39:29[laughter] So,

39:30>> absolutely.

39:31>> Yeah. Sure.

39:31>> No, I appreciate that. Um and so maybe

39:34there's a requirement but then also

39:35language around like may or you know

39:37count encouraged to you know other

39:40opportunities. Um the question of

39:41establishment both in terms of the

39:43requirements but then also in terms of

39:45enforcement. Um this ties a little bit

39:47back to that. Is it the property owner

39:50who is responsible, the owner of the

39:51building, or is it the the um the the

39:55person who's running the the company or

39:56that specific store or retailer that is

40:00I I just want to when we say an

40:02establishment is required and the and

40:04the a citation will be issued to who

40:07exactly is it the ownership or the or

40:09the the person responsible for that

40:11business?

40:12>> Sure. I'll defer it to the law

40:13department. I do believe that it's the

40:15property owner, but I will defer to the

40:17law department.

40:18>> Yeah. Right now in the bill on page uh

40:21four, um it it applies to the owner. Uh

40:26contents and specifications, the owner

40:28of an establishment specified in

40:29subsection A, which is one of those

40:31three establishments, um shall post a

40:34notice. So under this, it would be the

40:36owner,

40:36>> right? So for example then so like the

40:38the um and but that gets back to my

40:40question and may maybe that's clear to

40:42it's not clear to me yet because like

40:43the owner of a liquor store is different

40:46from the owner of the building in which

40:47the liquor store is is established. And

40:49so my question is whether it's the the

40:50owner of the building uh or it's the

40:53owner of the liquor store who has to

40:54post and therefore uh will receive a

40:57citation if they don't.

40:59>> Yeah. I mean

41:01>> go ahead sir. I I mean I think you could

41:03I think you'd argue that it's the owner

41:05of the specific establishment that

41:07qualifies it for the bill.

41:09>> From a legal perspective, I would argue

41:11property owner.

41:12>> Mhm.

41:13>> The well the owner of the of the

41:15establishment that qualifies it. It

41:17might be the same in some cases. Other

41:19cases perhaps it's just being rented to

41:21that establishment. But it would be the

41:23owner of that establishment then be it

41:25an LLC or Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. I

41:27mean, the same person that has, for

41:28example, the liquor license is that

41:30person. The same person that has the

41:32tobacco retailer license is that person.

41:34Correct. Same person that has the casino

41:35license, who may or may not be the owner

41:36of the building, but the person. All

41:38right. I just want to clarify just make

41:40sure um that they're my my last

41:42question. Is that

41:43>> the the language? I really appreciate I

41:45think the language here on page four

41:48under B1 is really helpful. Um I

41:52question is that uh how the language

41:54developed and also um I

41:58the decision- making around putting it

42:01in the bill itself um only because it

42:04makes it harder to change at some point.

42:05And so just I I can imagine a few

42:08different answers but you know way

42:09better than me so I wanted to ask.

42:10>> Yeah. And so the the the key premise was

42:13for for us to

42:16so I'll go back a little bit. We

42:18understand that a lot of these issues at

42:21um the federal level are everchanging

42:23and so for me it's very important for us

42:26to have very specific language within

42:29legislation that codifies the work that

42:31we are doing here. So no matter the

42:32administration, no matter um the change

42:35in the hedge winds of any additional

42:38administrations that may come after us,

42:40we would have specific language that

42:42protects these operations that we're

42:44doing here in the in um in quite for

42:46example BC more. And so that that was

42:48the whole reasoning behind it. Yeah,

42:50that was the primary reason behind it.

42:52>> Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you.

42:55>> All right, any other questions,

42:57colleagues?

42:58All right. Hearing and seeing none,

43:00we're going to take a vote on this

43:01particular bill today. Um, I'll

43:04entertain a motion.

43:05>> Chair, I thought we were um I'm sorry to

43:07interrupt. I um thought we might be

43:10working on some language to expand a

43:12little bit or that's

43:13>> Yeah, we can do that on second reader.

43:15>> That you would like to see on on second

43:16reader?

43:16>> I would like to see that on second

43:18reader. Yes, ma'am. So, I'll entertain a

43:20motion.

43:21>> Thank you.

43:22>> Second.

43:23>> Thank you. We're going to take a roll

43:25call. Porter, yes. Conway.

43:27>> Yes.

43:27>> Parker,

43:28>> yes.

43:29>> Dorsy is an excused absence. Torrance,

43:31>> yes.

43:32>> Bulock,

43:32>> yes.

43:32>> Ramos,

43:34>> wonderful. We have

43:37>> six in the affirmative, one excused

43:39absence. The motion passes and the bill

43:42moves to second reader at the next

43:43council meeting on October 19th. Thank

43:45you all so much. Have a great day.