Whatcom County's mental health tax might not prevent Skagit-like shooting

Family members say the 28-year-old Skagit County man refused treatment in the past and didn't recognize he was mentally ill. That's not what the programs are designed for, and generally nobody can be forced into them, officials say.

During other times, Zamora pleaded for treatment or couldn't afford medications, according to family and friends.

But bureaucracy and long wait times also appear to have played a role in Zamora's case.

"Here's the problem," said Leigh Wirth, Whatcom County Drug Court coordinator. "You and I know that civil liberties is huge. This is a guy that was off the grid, living in the woods. He didn't want services."

Whatcom County Council members recently approved a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax increase to bolster mental health and substance abuse treatment programs here. The goal is to get people the proper help and lessen the impact on the jail system, where the mentally ill often end up because they can't afford or recognize the need for services.

That recognition is a large part of the problem, officials say, because people can't be forced to get help.

Dennise Zamora has told the media that her son was "severely mentally ill" but he didn't see himself as ill.

In that case, even treatment in jail may not work, said Wendy Jones, Whatcom County chief corrections officer.

"I can't compel someone to take medication or accept treatment here," she said.

Zamora's ex-girlfriend, Connie Hickman, told The Seattle Times that he had a lot of promise, but signs of trouble kept recurring. Hickman said his growing volatility eventually led her to take out protection orders and leave the state, and that she has had no contact with him for about three years.

In 2003, Hickman and Dennise Zamora took him to a Whatcom County hospital, saying they feared for their safety. He was held involuntarily for treatment and then released. Laws prevent adults from being held against their will unless they are deemed an imminent threat to themselves or others.

After that 14-day hold, Zamora was put back out on the streets. He initially called Hickman, according to the Times, pleading to go back to the hospital. He was declined admission for unknown reasons. Health privacy laws prevent hospitals from releasing such information.

Eventually, Zamora was admitted to another hospital. During that stay, court records show he bit an orderly who was trying to restrain him. Criminal charges were filed, but later dropped.

"The next day, they discharged him," Hickman said. "How could they put him out on the streets when it was obvious the man had some issues?"

She said he was given a prescription but he didn't take the drugs because he didn't have a job and couldn't pay for them.

Most recently, Zamora was released in early August from prison after serving time for possession of cocaine.

Zamora's money issues are why he was still waiting for a required mental health evaluation that may have put him in treatment. State Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis said that Zamora's corrections officer was working with the state Department of Social & Human Services to help pay for that mental health evaluation.

The evaluation was a required part of Zamora's release from jail, and generally the offender must pay for it. DSHS can try to subsidize the evaluation. The process of trying to get it done can be lengthy, however.

"It's in everyone's best interest to get these evaluations done as soon as possible," Lewis said. "There's a lot of partners it takes. There has to be the services available in these communities, some have more than others."

Whatcom County Health Department Director Regina Delahunt said that the mental health tax will boost re-entry programs to help mentally ill offenders. It's possible that money could be used for the very evaluation that Zamora was waiting for, she said.

"We probably would use local dollars to expand services to a lot of people that currently fall through the cracks," she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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