DC AG warns hospitals of involuntary hospitalizations

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So those of us who want medical care won't have beds?

+1

This is truly concerning. Hospitals need to be used by those with medical issues/emergencies.

Obviously you haven’t been to Emergency lately. Our hospitals are ALREADY full of people who shouldn’t be there.

It’s about to get much worse under this admin.

[Anonymous]

Send them to Great Falls.

Bowser has busses. Time to use them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the other options? One option is to allow these people (often mentally ill) to stay in a homeless encampment. The other is to forcibly remove them and send for treatment. Are there other options? In most cases I’d assume at least a medical evaluation is necessary.

There was the Nazi Germany option and since Trump hasn't addressed the question, that is my assumption, sadly.

....ok....where?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the other options? One option is to allow these people (often mentally ill) to stay in a homeless encampment. The other is to forcibly remove them and send for treatment. Are there other options? In most cases I’d assume at least a medical evaluation is necessary.

I think Trump wants to put them Alligator Auschwitz and well....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As a healthcare professional, this is infuriating. If the government actually wants to get involved in "helping" the homeless with mental health issues they would invest money into our abysmal mental health system. I have patients waiting days, if not weeks, on holds in the ER waiting for inpatient psych beds. It's a completely inappropriate place for them because they are not getting the care they need and the atmosphere is not helpful. And it takes up resources that we don't have.

Of course but this takes time.

Curious why you think your patients waiting for an inpatient psych bed should receive one over a homeless person who is determined to need a psych bed?

I don't. The point is we don't even have enough beds for the patients we already have and haven't for years. And now we are going to have even more needs.

[Anonymous]

The biggest problem is the rampant drug use. (Which, of course, at times goes hand in hand with MH issues.) Some of these individuals get sent to treatment centers but they can’t comply with the rules, so they get kicked out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apologies if this should be in the 7 nights of action thread but it seems like a topic worthy of separate attention and discussion.

This is just insane.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/11/dc-ag-warns-involuntary-commitments-dc-trump-homeless/

You want mentally ill people staying on the streets?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the other options? One option is to allow these people (often mentally ill) to stay in a homeless encampment. The other is to forcibly remove them and send for treatment. Are there other options? In most cases I’d assume at least a medical evaluation is necessary.

There was the Nazi Germany option and since Trump hasn't addressed the question, that is my assumption, sadly.

Hasn’t addressed the question of what? What to do with the homeless? He released an Executive Order about it in July… so he’s actually specifically addressed it. No one paid attention to it though, since no one cares about what happens to people experiencing homelessness.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the other options? One option is to allow these people (often mentally ill) to stay in a homeless encampment. The other is to forcibly remove them and send for treatment. Are there other options? In most cases I’d assume at least a medical evaluation is necessary.

Ok, and the medical evaluation shows mental illness with non-complaint or ineffective medical treatment. No job, no insurance, no family. Now what?

[Anonymous]

Better there than The Saratoga.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More of this! This is the actually compassionate way to treat these people.

Says the person who does not know anything about the subject.

[Anonymous]

How is this going to work logistically? Because doctor’s aren’t obligated to participate in the involuntary evaluations of people if there is not a reliable source reporting they are an immediate risk to themselves or others.

“Homeless and refusing to decamp” is not a reason for an involuntary psychiatric hold and I would have no part of it, nor would my colleagues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apologies if this should be in the 7 nights of action thread but it seems like a topic worthy of separate attention and discussion.

This is just insane.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/11/dc-ag-warns-involuntary-commitments-dc-trump-homeless/

You want mentally ill people staying on the streets?

+1

DP: You guys have never studied or worked on the streets with this issue at all. Think this through. Where are they going to go? Is there room? Who is paying for it? Is there enough money? What if they don't want to stay there?

What about the homeless who have already begun the long and difficult process of getting help by establishing relationships with volunteers on the streets who are earning their trust and working through the system to get that person available help? What happens when the person is arrested and moved to God knows where and cannot be found by the trained professional person they used to trust? They are back behind square 1.

Why are they homeless? What has been done to change the conditions that put them on the streets in the first place? Who is actually doing the work to solve those problems and who is making it impossible to address those problems?

IF Trump actually cares about these people, why isn't he asking the folks who work this issue for a living what resources they actually need to help this population?

Because he doesn't care -- he doesn't want to help them; he wants them gone. He just doesn't want to see tents on the way to his golf course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The biggest problem is the rampant drug use. (Which, of course, at times goes hand in hand with MH issues.) Some of these individuals get sent to treatment centers but they can’t comply with the rules, so they get kicked out.

That is just one of myriad big problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apologies if this should be in the 7 nights of action thread but it seems like a topic worthy of separate attention and discussion.

This is just insane.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2025/08/11/dc-ag-warns-involuntary-commitments-dc-trump-homeless/

You want mentally ill people staying on the streets?

+1

DP: You guys have never studied or worked on the streets with this issue at all. Think this through. Where are they going to go? Is there room? Who is paying for it? Is there enough money? What if they don't want to stay there?

What about the homeless who have already begun the long and difficult process of getting help by establishing relationships with volunteers on the streets who are earning their trust and working through the system to get that person available help? What happens when the person is arrested and moved to God knows where and cannot be found by the trained professional person they used to trust? They are back behind square 1.

Why are they homeless? What has been done to change the conditions that put them on the streets in the first place? Who is actually doing the work to solve those problems and who is making it impossible to address those problems?

IF Trump actually cares about these people, why isn't he asking the folks who work this issue for a living what resources they actually need to help this population?

Because he doesn't care -- he doesn't want to help them; he wants them gone. He just doesn't want to see tents on the way to his golf course.

This. A 72 hour psych hold will accomplish nothing except more fear and trauma. Which I suppose is Trump's goal.

If he cared about poverty and homelessness, he certainly wouldn't be cutting medicaid, snap, and HUD.