By: Ashmar Mandou

A group of protestors took over the fifth floor of City Hall last month to plea for more mental health clinics around the city.

Patients, advocates, and supporters held a press conference outside of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office in April to criticize his decision to shut down six of Chicago’s 12 public mental health facilities, last year, and implore his administration to replace three retiring therapists and provide more resources for individuals with mental health needs.

“People need to know that they are not alone, people in our communities need a safe place where they can go to deal with their problems and get assistance not jus physically, but mentally,” said Wendell Smith, one of the protestors. With violence in Chicago at record highs, residents, like Smith, deem it necessary for Emanuel and his team to create more mental health services to deal with the trauma, especially for the uninsured. Protestors at the press conference demanded Mayor Emanuel replace retiring therapists, re-open the six closed mental health clinics, and meet with the Mental Health Movement to discuss a plan to “heal Chicago.”

On April 9th, 2012, the Northwest Mental Health Clinic in Logan Square and the Northtown/Rogers Park Mental Health Clinic closed. On April 30th, the Auburn/Gresham, Woodlawn, Beverly/Morgan Park and Back of the Yards Mental Health Clinics closed. In addition to the six clinic closures, 40 percent of the staff was laid off. The City of Chicago clinics are the only place besides Cook County Jail where the uninsured can receive affordable mental health care. In addition, to the city clinic closures, at least two non-profit clinics – the Counseling Center of Lakeview and the Community Mental Health Council – have also closed during the past year. The south side of the city, in particular, is a desert for mental health care.