A woman identifying herself as the sister of the Island man who jumped off a Steamship Authority ferry earlier this month said that he was suffering from a yearslong mental health crisis, and she is using the incident to spread the message about the lack of resources in the nation’s healthcare system.
Sarah Dole, in a post that has been widely shared on Facebook, said that the family has been trying to get help for her brother over the past year and a half. While he survived jumping from a Steamship ferry, she and her family worry about his future.
“Our healthcare system is an absolute failure, and if he dies next time, it will be on the system’s hands,” Dole’s statement reads. “This is an absolute atrocity. We all feel helpless and frustrated and terrified of the whole situation.”
Dole’s statement also provides some clarity surrounding the incident that occurred on Oct 13, or Indigenous People’s Day. The U.S. Coast Guard, which was investigating the incident, and Steamship Authority officials would not comment on whether the individual fell or jumped from the Steamship ferry.
Dole suggested that her brother, a 54-year-old who has been living on the Island for more than three decades, was having delusions, and jumped on his own volition, believing that he was part of a military operation.
The man’s rescue was quite miraculous, and made national news. The Coast Guard reported that he had been treading water off Nobska Light for more than an hour and a half in six- to seven-foot waves and 30-knot winds before they picked him up in a helicopter. He allegedly jumped while traveling on the Steamship ferry Nantucket, and was later spotted by a passenger aboard the ferry Island Home. Crew and passengers have since been praised by the Coast Guard for helping to find the man.
Dole, in her post, also thanked the Steamship crew, passengers, and others. “I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has helped along the way, our family, friends, medical professionals, first responders, the Steamship Authority crew and passengers, and now the Coast Guard,” she stated.
Dole told The Times that she is concerned not only for her brother going forward, but for the general public. He was admitted to a hospital for mental health reasons, but has since been discharged, and is homeless on the Cape. Their family has offered him shelter, but she said that he has so far refused. She worries what he could do next if he doesn’t accept help. That he was discharged from a psychiatric ward so early was frustrating for Dole and devastating to her family.
“Every time it gets bad enough to be admitted to a psych hospital, they release him after some time, and the cycle starts all over again,” Dole wrote on her post. “It’s terrifying to think what he’ll do next once they release him again. He should not have survived that event, and he will probably not survive the next.”
For those looking for help, call the national 24/7 crisis hotline by dialing 988. The Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) is available 24/7 for all residents of Massachusetts, call or text 833-773-2445. On the Island, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services is open 8 am to 8 pm Monday through Friday at 508-693-7900, ext. 4. MVCS provides assessment, treatment, support, case management, and referral for Islanders with urgent needs related to mental health and/or substance misuse.