AFGE is urging the D.C. government not to close the urgent care clinic at the D.C. Superior Courthouse that each year provides hundreds of individuals with mental health care and substance use treatment. Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed to cut the entire program from the district’s FY2025 budget.
The Court Urgent Care Clinic is small – it only has five employees – a psychiatrist, two mental health clinicians, a certified addictions counselor and an intake coordinator – but the services it provides make a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of D.C. residents it serves each year, including children.
Located inside the D.C. Superior Courthouse, individuals involved in the court can be seen on the same day they are in court and experiencing acute mental health symptoms. Without the onsite clinic, people may not receive the treatment they need.
The clinic provides in-depth analysis at the request of the court to determine if a child needs to be hospitalized. They have been able to avoid hospitalizing children after gathering the needed information and coordinating with a hospital, the child's probation officer, family, and Core Service Agency to be prescribed the appropriate medication.
Clinic employees also work closely with Pretrial Services and Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency to provide additional screenings and assessments for their clients.
In a letter to council members and the mayor, AFGE Legislative Department Director Julie Tippens said the clinic is critically important to D.C. residents in need, and the council should take every step possible to preserve this important program.
“Every day our members see people who suffer from mental health issues, substance abuse and housing instability. The Court Urgent Care Clinic is critical to getting needed services to these individuals. By working with the Civil Actions Branch and Mental Health Court, the Court Urgent Care Clinic is able to provide support to clients with mental illnesses that would otherwise require police intervention.”
“We were dismayed to see Mayor Bowser cut the program completely out of the FY25 budget,” she added. “The loss of the Court Urgent Care Clinic will be devastating to D.C. residents in need, slow down our court system and increase the need for police intervention.”
Nicholas Giannakopoulos, president of AFGE Local 1456 that works closely with the clinic, will be testifying at the council meeting on Friday, May 3.
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