Advocate For Change
Encourage changes in Law Enforcement and Department of Motor Vehicles policies
Encourage changes in Law Enforcement and Department of Motor Vehicles policies
to protect the public from dangerous consequences due to mental illness.
We aim to increase education of police officers through a free DVD that we plan
to distribute to NH and Massachusetts police departments. Experts in the field of
law enforcement and psychology. Estimated release date: Mid- November. The goal
of this DVD is to bring about awareness and more education regarding mental health
issues in the field to police officers. Please view our KSM Promo Video.
- Require Law-enforcement personnel to be adequately trained & educated to recognize
the signs and characteristics related to serious mental illness.
- Amend the Involuntary Emergency Admission (IEA) law to include criteria for individuals
exhibiting signs of psychosis (hallucinations, driving to endanger & assault). This
would provide safety and protection of citizens with mental illness that may make
them a risk to themselves or others.
- Develop a voluntary means of “flagging” the license information in the law enforcement
database, of people who have been released from in-patient facilities. This provision
would provide law enforcement with useful information during encounters with such
citizens, to ensure the proper measures are taken if their actions are due to a
mental illness relapse.
- Lobby for strict gun-control measures of all high-risk mental health patients, especially
those who have been hospitalized.
Support the development of Assisted Outpatient Treatment Programs (AOT)
Support the development of Assisted Outpatient Treatment Programs (AOT): Implement
a court mandated commitment to outpatient treatment for those deemed unlikely to
survive safely in the community without services. Massachusetts is one of only 8
states without AOT.
Encourage changes in Mental Health policies
Encourage changes in Mental Health policies - Improve mental health diagnosis, assessment
and discharge requirements of in-patient mental health facilities to provide better
care to the patients along with improving the likelihood of improved outcomes after
discharge.
- Adjust HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) Laws for patients
with mental illness. Ammendments to this law will allow input from family members
to assist mental health professionals in their development of the diagnosis & discharge
plan. Also, notification of PCP (Primary Care Physician) of any patient being admitted
and/or discharged from in-patient mental health facilities would be facilitated.
The sharing of mental health information of their patients is critical to enhancing
patient follow-up and medication compliance.
- Requirements for a comprehensive, systematic “Discharge Contract”, between the mental
health professionals and the family members upon release from in patient mental
health facilities. This contract will provide education on the diagnosis and explains
the dangers and risks associated with certain diagnoses.
- Mandatory follow up with patients to ensure the patient is complying with the discharge
protocol.
- Develop a Mental Health Advocacy program which encourages involvement and input
from family members when concerns about mental health issues arise.
Please be part of our mission. Aside from monetary donations, we are seeking other
practical assistance for our organization.
We welcome all comments, questions, and inquiries.