Dr. Roberto Mezzina headed the Dipartimento di Salute Mentale in Trieste until his retirement in late 2019. Both of the California delegations that visited Trieste (in 2017 and 2019) were graciously welcomed by Dr. Mezzina and his staff in our quest to understand the culture and principles that make this system so noteworthy. Within those two delegations were representatives from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department (LASD), harboring a deep desire to embrace a more human-focused posture on how to come alongside people with mental illness, both in the county jail system and in the community.
The Department is also interested to lean into guiding principles of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights – which is espoused by the Italian system – as a framework to guide how people with mental illness are cared for in our society.
In April 2022, Dr. Mezzina was invited to Los Angeles at the behest of the L.A. Sheriff’s Foundation to come alongside some specialized divisions in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department: the Homeless Outreach Services Team (HOST) and the Mental Evaluation Team.
Dr. Mezzina also toured the remarkable program that was initially started in 2016 at Twin Towers to provide a more caring and therapeutic environment for the most seriously mentally ill patients in the jail. Under the leadership of the Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Health Services Correctional Mental Health division, this program, described in an article which appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, has expanded. (See website created by the Mental Health Assistants for more information about this innovation.)
Dr. Mezzina’s visit to Los Angeles coincided with the filming of an episode of the CNN documentary series, "Life with Lisa Ling." This episode focusses upon the mental health crisis in Los Angeles County. The producers and host of this show participated in some of the outreach and engagement conducted by the LASD HOST Team and Dr. Mezzina.
This interview was conducted in person in the podcast studio at Verdugo Sound on the way to the airport. Dr. Mezzina also provides an update on the changing political climate in Trieste – a topic that was introduced in a podcast interview that can be found in Season Two, Episode Seven.