{"id":1459,"date":"2020-02-01T10:43:13","date_gmt":"2020-02-01T18:43:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sdc.wastateleg.org\/dhingra\/?p=1459"},"modified":"2020-09-17T00:09:59","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T00:09:59","slug":"washington-state-senator-unveils-bill-to-aid-people-who-refuse-treatment-for-drug-addiction-or-mental-health-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/dhingra\/2020\/02\/01\/washington-state-senator-unveils-bill-to-aid-people-who-refuse-treatment-for-drug-addiction-or-mental-health-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington state senator unveils bill to aid people who refuse treatment for drug addiction or mental-health issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

From The Seattle Times<\/a><\/p>\n

When her 33-year-old son leaves jail or a treatment center after a mental-health and drug-addiction crisis, Theresa Yates says, there\u2019s nothing to keep him from winding up back on the streets.<\/p>\n

After an episode, he\u2019ll be taken to jail and then involuntarily detained at a hospital or treatment center, said Yates, 54, of Tacoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll let him back on the street with a plan, and his plan is to go to the shelter,\u201d she said. But, she added, \u201cHe won\u2019t go to the shelter. Nobody can make him, because he has rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what brought Yates to a committee hearing Friday to speak in favor of a bill by Sen. Steve O\u2019Ban, R-University Place, intended to provide treatment for adults suffering from mental illness or drug addiction who won\u2019t or can\u2019t help themselves but aren\u2019t in bad enough shape to be detained.<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 6109<\/a>\u00a0would create a four-year trial run for a new executor program in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Under the bill, someone who has been involuntarily detained at least five times in a 12-month period could have an executor appointed to them to help oversee treatment.<\/p>\n

The bill would also create requirements to make available treatment, supportive housing and vocational rehabilitation for those in the program.<\/p>\n

\n
O\u2019Ban called the bill an attempt to bridge the gap between treatment that people get voluntarily and the high threshold that needs to be met in order for officials to detain someone under Washington\u2019s Involuntary Treatment Act.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Under that law, someone \u201cin imminent danger because of being gravely disabled\u201d or who \u201cpresents an imminent likelihood of serious harm\u201d can be detained and given involuntary treatment.<\/p>\n

At a news conference before Friday\u2019s hearing, O\u2019Ban said his legislation was geared toward \u201cthose who consistently refuse care and shelter, but suffer crippling addictions and mental illness.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUnless government intervenes, their conditions harden, the likelihood of recovery lessens, and many will perish,\u201d he said. \u201cWe owe them and their parents more, a lot more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steve Strachan, executive director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, also spoke at the news conference in favor of SB 6109.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will increase the safety of the public, it will increase the safety of law enforcement, and very importantly it will increase the safety of the people involved,\u201d said Strachan.<\/p>\n

\n
Standing nearby was Jerri Clark, founder of the advocacy group Mothers of the Mentally Ill, who\u00a0 talked about her son\u2019s long struggle with mental illness. She recounted a story of the last time he was released from involuntary treatment in a hospital.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI pleaded with the staff to make sure he was released into appropriate housing,\u201d Clark said of her son, who died by suicide last year. Instead, he was sent to an emergency shelter.<\/p>\n

He discarded his medication, according to Clark and \u201cspent six days running around Seattle in psychosis with no fewer than five interactions with law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cBut none of those experiences led to a level of imminent threat or criminality that would allow public officials to do anything to help him,\u201d said Clark. \u201cHe didn\u2019t get help until he broke into a residence and was arrested on felony charges and thrown in King County Jail, where he immediately tried to kill himself \u2026\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Lawmakers are seeking other ways to make it easier for officials to intervene with people needing mental-health treatment.<\/p>\n

Senate Bill 5720<\/a>, sponsored by Sen. Manka Dhingra, D-Redmond, would make several changes to the Involuntary Treatment Act, including changing the threshold for someone to be detained.<\/p>\n

For example, the definition of \u201cserious harm\u201d would be expanded to \u201cinclude a risk of physical harm evidenced by harm, substantial pain, or which places a person in reasonable fear of harm to themselves or others,\u201d according to a legislative analysis.<\/p>\n

Dhingra\u2019s bill passed the Senate last year but stalled in the House. Last week, Senate lawmakers passed it again, and she said she hopes it will get to the governor\u2019s desk this year.<\/p>\n

By Joe O’Sullivan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From The Seattle Times When her 33-year-old son leaves jail or a treatment center after a mental-health and drug-addiction crisis, Theresa Yates says, there\u2019s nothing to keep him from winding up back on the streets. After an episode, he\u2019ll be taken to jail and then involuntarily detained at a hospital or treatment center, said Yates, 54, of Tacoma. \u201cThey\u2019ll let him back on the street with a plan, and his plan is to go to the shelter,\u201d she said. But, she added, \u201cHe won\u2019t go to the shelter. Nobody can make him, because he has rights.\u201d That\u2019s what brought Yates…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":1240,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"yoast_head":"\nWashington state senator unveils bill to aid people who refuse treatment for drug addiction or mental-health issues - Sen. 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After an episode, he\u2019ll be taken to jail and then involuntarily detained at a hospital or treatment center, said Yates, 54, of Tacoma. \u201cThey\u2019ll let him back on the street with a plan, and his plan is to go to the shelter,\u201d she said. But, she added, \u201cHe won\u2019t go to the shelter. Nobody can make him, because he has rights.\u201d That\u2019s what brought Yates...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/senatedemocrats.wa.gov\/dhingra\/2020\/02\/01\/washington-state-senator-unveils-bill-to-aid-people-who-refuse-treatment-for-drug-addiction-or-mental-health-issues\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sen. 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