Dr. Jim Baker, the C.E.O. of MetroCare, gave a presentation this morning at the weekly public hearing of the Dallas County Commissioners’ Court. He spoke about the conditions of health coverage that the County provides to poor residents. He revealed some startling information to the County Commissioners.

Dr. Baker explained that families with children, who are developmentally challenged, must be placed on a 10-year waiting list before their child receives proper ‘disability services’ treatment. To make matters worse, the waiting list continues to grow with each passing day.

Nevertheless, Dr. Baker urged parents with disabled children to sign up for the program as soon as possible, even though a minimum 10-year waiting list is unavoidable. In many cases, developmentally challenged children will become adults before receiving adequate care.

Dr. Baker also admitted North Star isn’t meeting its goals to provide sufficient mental health care services to the impoverished residents of Dallas County. He is quoted as saying, “the NorthSTAR project is not adequate.” Dr. Baker confessed that MetroCare is “rationing” its mental health services to the poor.

Today’s meeting at the Commissioners’ Court appeared livelier than normal. The TV channel news crews of 4, 5, and 8 sent reporters to ask County Commissioners about a smoking ban on County-owned property, which includes designated parking lots.

A new policy bans anyone from smoking within a 25-ft. vicinity of the Commissioners’ Court building, as well as the Holocaust and (JFK assassination) Sixth-floor and Old Red museums. County Commissioners John Wiley Price and Kenneth Mayfield expressed public support for the initiative.

County Judge Jim Foster introduced Rev. Dr. Alan Akana of the Cathedral of Hope Church to give the opening prayer convocation at the Commissioners’ Court. The Cathedral of Hope’s Web site describes the church as “the world’s largest liberal Christian church with a primary outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.”

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