"Too many people in San Francisco are falling into crisis when intervention could and should come sooner. At the center of this effort is a simple reality: Stability is the gateway to recovery. For many people with severe mental illness, medication is what allows treatment to work at all. Without it, housing placements fail, care plans break down, and crises repeat themselvesoften with greater harm each time."
"gives courts and doctors a responsible tool to intervene before situations escalate."
"In San Francisco, we want to utilize every effective tool available to help individuals with serious mental illness stabilize and eventually thrive in the community."
"an important step towards closing gaps in our behavioral health system."
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Assemblymember Catherine Stefani announced a state bill that would permit judges to order involuntary mental-health medication in certain circumstances. Current law allows judges to order assisted outpatient treatment but does not authorize involuntary medication without patient consent. The proposed measure intends to close a legal gap in handling severely mentally ill individuals and to provide courts and clinicians a way to intervene before crises escalate. City officials, including the Department of Public Health and the City Attorney, endorse the measure as necessary to stabilize individuals, support recovery, and reduce recurring street-level crises.
#involuntary-psychiatric-medication #assisted-outpatient-treatment #behavioral-health-policy #san-francisco-government
Read at sfist.com
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