(The Center Square) – Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson announced the expansion of public mental health facilities in the city.
The mayor said his administration will reopen the Roseland Mental Health Clinic before the end of the year. This facility is one of 14 such clinics that the city has closed since 1989.
“We stand here on the Far South Side to make clear that we are prioritizing those that previous administrations left behind and ignored,” Johnson said.
Johnson also announced the expansion of mental health facilities in Pilsen and West Garfield Park. He said he couldn't help but think of his late brother, Leon.
“He was a loving husband and father and a brilliant musician, but he struggled with mental illness his entire life,” Johnson said.
One in four Chicagoans has a mental health issue, said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Simbo Ige.
“At this moment, there are over 300,000 Chicagoans waiting for mental health services,” Ige said.
Police and fire departments should not be the ones responding to mental health crises, Johnson said.
“We rely too much on the police. It's that simple. What we're building is a system of care. The full power of government is on display today,” Johnson said.
Government and union officials joined the mayor as he announced the reopening of the Roseland facility. When asked about the cost of the projects, the mayor did not provide an estimate.
The Chicago City Council passed an ordinance last October to create a working group to expand the mental health system.
Chicago Alderman 33 and Democratic Socialist Caucus Rosana Rodriguez Sanchez co-sponsored the ordinance. She said the Heal Not Trauma campaign is about creating sustainable public infrastructures of care.
“The campaign is driving a vision for an integrated, prevention- and treatment-focused ecosystem of city-operated mental health centers throughout Chicago neighborhoods that includes a non-police, peer-supported mental and behavioral health first responder system,” Rodriguez-Sanchez said. .
