California Governor Signs Law Enabling Some Forced Mental Health Care
AP says the new law could “force” some of the 100,000 unhoused people in California into treatment, a move critics say is cruel. The law could also be used in instances where people have been diagnosed with particular disorders, such as schizophrenia. Other news is from Alaska, Michigan, Georgia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Montana.
AP:
California Governor OKs Mental Health Courts For Homeless
With more than 100,000 people living on California’s streets, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a first-of-its kind law on Wednesday that could force some of them into treatment as part of a program he describes as “care” but opponents argue is cruel. Newsom signed the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act on Wednesday. It would let family members, first responders and others ask a judge to draw up a treatment plan for someone diagnosed with certain disorders, including schizophrenia. Those who refuse could be placed under a conservatorship and ordered to comply. (Har and Beam, 9/14)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Anchorage Daily News:
Gov. Dunleavy Vetoes Alaska Tax On Vaping And Increase To Minimum Tobacco Purchase Age
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed legislation last week that would have imposed a statewide tax on e-cigarettes and brought the state’s minimum age to buy tobacco into compliance with federal law, raising it from 19 to 21, because the governor thought the vaping tax rate was too high. (Maguire, 9/14)
Stateline:
Court Victories Deliver Cautious Hope For Voters With Disabilities
Paralyzed from the neck down, downtown Milwaukee resident Martha Chambers has difficulty voting. She can use a mouth stick to mark her ballot and sign her name on an absentee ballot, but she has no way of folding the ballot, slipping it back in the envelope or returning it to the mailbox. Driven by its conservative majority, the Wisconsin Supreme Court in July outlawed assistance in the absentee voting process. (Vasilogambros, 9/14)
Detroit Free Press:
Michigan Household Income Flat, But More Have Health Insurance: Census
Michiganders are making just as much money but more have health insurance now than before the pandemic, according to census data released Thursday. “Despite the enormous effects of the pandemic in so many ways, it did not kick the income and poverty numbers in a big way,” said Charles Ballard, an economics professor at Michigan State University. “It’s a remarkable story in itself, that you have this social and demographic and health earthquake and yet if you squint, you can’t see that it did anything to the income and poverty numbers.” (Tanner, 9/15)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia’s New 988 Mental Health Crisis Hotline Is Already Responsive
Data from the first 45 days show that the 988 calls were answered quickly, in 7.4 seconds on average, according to new numbers from the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. In those first 45 days, 476 calls resulted in rescues of people whose lives were believed to be in danger. (Landergan, 9/15)
North Carolina Health News:
Momentum Building For MAT In Jails Across N.C.
During his 20 years in the field of substance use disorders, Eric Morse has seen countless patients forced off their medication-assisted treatment (MAT) — a treatment that’s often working — while incarcerated. (Crumpler, 9/15)
KHN:
Montana Health Department Seeks To Ax Board That Hears Public Assistance Appeals
Montana health officials are asking state lawmakers to eliminate a board that hears appeals from people who believe they were wrongly denied public assistance benefits. Since 2016, the Board of Public Assistance has heard fewer than 20 cases a year, and very few of those are overturned, but preparing for those appeals and board meetings takes time from state Department of Public Health and Human Services’ staff members and attorneys, according to the department’s proposal. (Volz, 9/15)
