At the end of 17 days of forced psychiatric treatment, Kuuipo Surls-Kane climbed into a taxi waiting outside a Kailua hospital and told the driver to drop her off at the same Sand Island homeless encampment that her family, a psychiatrist and several social workers had tried so hard to pry her away from.
In many ways Surls-Kane was back where she started, still nursing a broken jaw from a Big Island assault in early August. The process has left her family members frustrated, but her circumstances have measurably improved.
Every other day, a social worker on a team dedicated to Surls-Kane’s case meets with her to assess her mental condition and continue the slow, intensive work of coaxing her toward better circumstances. Surls-Kane is polite at these park bench meetings but she says very little. One social worker ordered Surls-Kane a flip phone, delicately building trust…