Who advocates for those who can't do it for themselves? As the story below shows, the buck gets passed in following the letter of the law. I count at least four opportunities to intervene for a man who clearly didn't have the capacity to advocate for himself (due to a treatable mental illness, I'll add).
This courtesy of the Gazette and journalist Jen Hemmingsten.
Two days before Sonny Iovino died of exposure, he was released by a Veterans Affairs Medical Center doctor and turned away from the Johnson County Jail after police repeatedly found him behaving erratically and shedding his clothes.
On the advice of a social worker, police didn't try to take Iovino, 55, to a shelter, according to University of Iowa police incident reports The Gazette obtained.
Medical Center spokesman Kirt Sickels told the newspaper Monday hospital officials did all they could.
"If somebody doesn't want to be treated, you can't treat them," Sickels said. He could not disclose details about Iovino's medical history or immediately get information about Iovino's military service.
The nearly naked body of Iovino, a homeless Vietnam-era veteran who had frequented Iowa City for years, was found under the Benton Street bridge around 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 7. An autopsy confirmed he died of hypothermia.
Advocates say there's little the community can do to help if mentally ill people refuse treatment.
"If they don't want to go and if they aren't committed there's nothing anyone can do," said Gene Spaziani, former chairman of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Johnson County. "They're on their own. That's the way it goes."
Reports The Gazette obtained show that, on Nov. 5, UI police found Iovino at 8:42 a.m. lying on the ground near the corner of Burlington and Madison streets. He wore no shoes, seemed confused and talked constantly as he dug in the mulch, the reports show.
"He was lying near the exhaust vent to keep warm," officer Eric Werling reported. "We asked Iovino to leave and he would not respond to our questions, but kept talking and crawling around on the ground."
Police persuaded Iovino to put on his shoes, cited him for trespassing and told him to move. At 11:29 a.m., they were called back to the UI's Lindquist Center and found an agitated Iovino wearing only pants. Again they got Iovino to dress and leave, reports show.
When police were called again less than two hours later, they took Iovino to a psychiatrist at the VA center.
Iovino asked the psychiatrist for medication, but the doctor said he first needed an evaluation. When the doctor asked to take his vital signs, Iovino made what reports called an inappropriate comment. "I take that as a no," UI Police Officer Alton Poole reported the doctor as saying. The doctor released Iovino back to police.
A blood-alcohol test showed Iovino hadn't been drinking, but a medical center social worker said Iowa City's Shelter House wouldn't take him in his condition, reports showed.
The officers arrested Iovino and took him to jail, but deputies there wouldn't take him either. Johnson County Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek told The Gazette the jail won't admit anyone with an immediate medical need. He said the doctor's note indicated Iovino needed hospitalization for mental illness.
Police cited Iovino for criminal trespass and released him with notice to show up for court on Nov. 20. He signed the charge and left the jail, walking south along Court Street — toward the Benton Street bridge, the reports said.
1 comment:
In your opinion what should have been done?
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