Let’s hope DC and the suburban jurisdictions (MoCo, et al) follow NYC’s lead: safer for all
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Anonymous
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There is literally no room for this in hospitals. Period.
You can debate whether we can or should - but there isn't enough room for the people who want help; let alone people who don't and who aren't a danger to anyone. THERE ARE NO BEDS. |
Anonymous
Florida does it. Baker Act. |
Anonymous
Lol are you familiar with the current makeup of the Supreme Court? |
Anonymous
The Baker Act has a much higher bar (likelihood of serious bodily harm) than what Adams is proposing here. Doing what he is proposing requires lots of beds, lots of money, and a series of legal outcomes that would break precedent. |
Anonymous
Yes I am. They would absolutely reverse this solely to “punish” Democratic cities. |
Anonymous
This. |
Anonymous
This is bizarre - living on the streets (especially high) is inherently a danger to themselves AND others. |
Anonymous
You don't follow legal philosophy, do you? Originalism = police powers (including health) belong to the states. |
Anonymous
No one said anything about drugs, that's a separate issue. But simply sleeping on the streets does not endangers anyone, tf are you talking about? |
Anonymous
They'll fit right in. |
Anonymous
NP. I don't think the courts are going to agree with you here, but even if they did, where does that leave you? There's hundreds of people living on the street (not counting people who are in emergency shelters) and there aren't hundreds of beds. I'm not sure which psych wards in the city take involuntary commitments, I know GW does (my husband was committed there once) and it has 20 beds. PIW has 120 which is relatively speaking huge, but these beds are mostly already occupied. You tried to get a loved one committed to the psych ward recently? I have, and it was days of sitting in the ER waiting for a bed somewhere to open, and when it did it wasn't at a hospital that takes involuntary commitments. This is a PR stunt, not a plan. |
Anonymous
Omg, you’re so precious in your naïvety. |
Anonymous
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Still trying to understand what this means over an FD-12. DC MPD brings people to the hospital all the time under FD-12 (involuntary psychiatric hospitalization), and the hospital cannot legally discharge them (or anyone) until they are deemed safe. So this means that each admitted case gets a psychiatric consult as well as a case worker. I suppose this would set criteria to keep them there longer, but is it just postponing the inevitable?
In addition, the city would have to then find a way to increase funds to hospitals to create entire units and add and staff beds. We're talking millions of dollars here. People already wait in the ER with nonpsychiatric conditions for over 24 hours just to get admitted up to a room. Waiting in the ER often means sitting on a stretcher in a chaotic hallway with other patients and overstretched, understaffed hospital staff. Here is some DC language that already exists for FD-12s: "C. Voluntary and Non-voluntary Transport to Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) 1. If a member believes an interaction with a mental health consumer has escalated to the point where death or serious bodily injury is imminent, the member shall: a. Take appropriate police action. b. Contact an official for barricade/hostage situations where Emergency Response Team response may be appropriate. 2. In all other cases, a member who reasonably believes that an adult individual is mentally ill and poses a danger or threat of danger to himself or herself or others, shall transport the individual without delay to the Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CPEP) located in Building 14 on the grounds of the former DC General Hospital. 3. All adults being transported to CPEP for mental observation in a Department vehicle shall be field searched by the member and handcuffed prior to being placed in a vehicle. a. Weapons, or other items which could be used to inflict injury, shall be removed and properly recorded on the property book at the assigned organization element of the transporting member. b. All other personal property of the person being transported shall accompany the person and turned over to CPEP staff. 4. If an adult who shows no signs of being a danger to himself or herself or others voluntarily agrees to go to CPEP: a. An adult family member should first arrange transportation. If the family member can not arrange transportation, the transportation can be by a Department vehicle. If the individual is injured, transportation should be by ambulance to the closest appropriate hospital. Members may determine INTERACTING WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS (GO-OPS-308.04) 6 of 15 whether handcuffs and other restraining devices are appropriate in the event that they ride in the ambulance. b. Prepare a field report with the classification “Sick Person to the Hospital”. 5. If the adult does not voluntarily agree to go to CPEP, the member shall: a. Transport the adult mental health consumer, using handcuffs and, if necessary, additional restraining devices, to CPEP on the grounds of the former DC General Hospital, Building 14. b. If the suspected mental health consumer is violent, but not under arrest, request a transport wagon with two members to assist in transporting the individual. c. Execute a Form FD-12 outlining the circumstances for the detention and provide this form to the staff of the facility. (1) The information entered on the Form FD-12 shall describe the specific behaviors or statements of the mental health consumer which led the member initiating the emergency hospitalization to believe that the person was in imminent danger of harming himself or herself or others. (2) Members may consult with the staff at CPEP for assistance with completing the Form FD-12. (3) Members initiating an FD-12 shall be responsible for transporting the mental health consumer’s property. (a) In the event that the mental health consumer’s property would be classified as an encampment, the member shall contact the Office of Neighborhood Engagement through the Mayor’s Command Center to handle the property. (b) In all cases, when a FD-12 is initiated by another agency, the initiating agency will be responsible for transporting the property. In the event that the agency member does not have access to a vehicle, the MPD member shall transport the agency member who will maintain responsibility for the property. INTERACTING WITH MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS (GO-OPS-308.04) 7 of 15 d. Prepare a field report with the classification “Sick Person to the Hospital”. e. Upon obtaining a Central Complaint Number (CCN) for the field report, provide the Teletype Unit with the name of the mental health consumer" |
Anonymous
| Maybe this is the only good thing that can come out of this horrible Supreme Court - do you think they would really slap this down if it got that far? Adams has the right idea - it is not humane to have our fellow citizens who are out of their mind out on the streets. |
Anonymous
As a psychologist I am disgusted by this policy and the falsehood in many of the posts here that most homeless and mentally ill people pose a danger to others. Most homeless and mentally ill people are neither violent nor dangerous. I'm not surprised in the least that the pearl clutchers on DCUM have stigma toward the mentally ill and homeless. |