CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago’s public health commissioner said adding mental health clinics may not be the way to help more people with mental health issues in Chicago.
Many people have clamored during the Chicago mayoral race for the city to re-open the six of the 12 mental health facilities it closed in 2019.
Public Health Comissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said the city is actually helping more people now without bringing back clinics.
“We went from serving about 3,600 people in 2019 across the five clinics we directly operate as well as some other programs all the way up to around 74,000."
She said the way the city accomplishes more with fewer clinics is by out-sourcing the work.
“We’ve placed additional, given funding to place clinicians in community mental health centers that are funded by the state," Arwady explained.
"We’ve paid to put clinicians in some newer places like food pantries and or, most recently, libraries, places where people are coming with mental health needs already.”
She also said she’d like to remain in her position when Brandon Johnson is sworn-in as mayor. Johnson said during a mayoral debate he would replace her. He later pulled back from that stance and hasn’t yet publicly committed to a decision.
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