SAN FRANCISCO — A ballot initiative for city voters seeks to offer what would be the country's first universal psychiatric care system here.
Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney and Assemblyman Phil Ting said Tuesday they support putting Mental Health SF on the November ballot. San Francisco supervisors are expected to vote June 4 on whether to put the issue before voters this later year.
Mental health advocates rallied in support of the initiative on the steps of San Francisco City Hall, including union members, District Attorney George Gascon and Public Defender Mano Raju.
Psychiatric nurse Jennifer Steel said universal mental health care is desperately needed.
"Folks attempt to access the only psychiatric emergency room in San Francisco at San Francisco General Hospital, but they are turned away because it's on 'condition red' or diversion 40% of the time," said Steel.
More than a third of patients are discharged without a treatment plan for continued care, she said.
The ballot initiative will instruct the Department of Public Health to work with a task force to create Mental Health SF. The program will have create a mental health service center and an office of coordinated care while expanding critical care.
The new services would be paid funded with a tax on so-called "excessive" salaries for CEOs. Companies whose chief executives makes 100 times than their median worker will get hit with a 0.1% surcharge. The surcharge would increase as the disparity between the chief executive and median employee grows.
The excessive CEO salary tax will also be on the San Francisco November ballot. If passed, it may raise an estimated $80 million a year.
"The voters, San Franciscans, have to make it a reality by voting yes on Mental Health SF, and by voting yes on the excessive CEO salary tax," Ronan said.