Whitestone-based Transitional Services of New York Inc. and the Holliswood Hospital awarded certificates of…
By Alexander Dworkowitz
Two borough mental health organizations thanked police for their attentive care of the mentally ill at a Holliswood ceremony last Thursday.
Whitestone-based Transitional Services of New York Inc. and the Holliswood Hospital awarded certificates of appreciation to the 107th and 103rd precincts.
The 107th Precinct, based in Fresh Meadows, covers Holliswood Hospital. The 103rd Precinct, based in Jamaica, covers TSI’s main facility at 147-32 Jamaica Ave.
TSI is a comprehensive, community-based organization which offers services, such as job training, to help people who have struggled with mental illness to reintegrate into society and become more independent.
Holliswood, on the other hand, treats people with more severe problems. All the patients who go to Holliswood, located in a well-to-do residential area, are either psychotic, suicidal or homicidal.
Representatives from Holliswood and TSI said the event marked the first time their organizations had formally recognized the city’s police.
In working with the mentally ill, personnel from both organizations often contact the police for help.
Eve Hazel, executive director of TSI, spoke of her first encounter with police while working with the mental health organization.
One of TSI’s clients had become disturbed and was carrying a knife around the facility. The police were called in.
“We were very anxious because we didn’t want the person being dragged out in handcuffs because everybody was watching,” Hazel said.
The police officers, however, calmed the man down and quietly escorted him outside.
“I’ve never forgotten that. It was my first experience with the mentally ill and the Police Department,” Hazel said.
Janine Regosin, community relations representative for Holliswood Hospital, told a similar story.
Regosin described how a woman who had overdosed on Valium had showed up at the hospital. The woman required medical attention, and the hospital called the police.
Minutes later, three squad cars arrived.
Regosin explained that the officers told the woman they wanted to take her to have her blood sugar checked instead of simply demanding she go to the emergency room.
“The officers that responded — they were very sensitive to the fact that the woman was so fragile,” Regosin said.
Capt. Patrick Heaney of the 107th Precinct explained that officers from his precinct had met with the hospital several times in recent years and that these meetings have improved the relationship between the communities.
Such partnerships between community organizations and police have helped to reduce crime in recent years, said Thomas Lawless, commanding officer of Queens Patrol Borough South.
He added that his officers appreciated the commendations.
“It means a lot to them that they are being recognized,” he said.
Capt. Dawn Erdey of the 103rd Precinct said it makes sense that the mental health organizations and the police work together.
“We have one common goal,” she said. “We’re here to help people.”
Reach reporter Alexander Dworkowitz by e-mail at Timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 141.
