Quote:
Originally posted by wolf
Pennsylvania has had a similar law since 1974. I don't know all of the details of Kendra's law, though.
PA has long term involuntary outpatient commitments. If a patient is not compliant with the specified treatment (most outpatient centers consider missing three appointments as noncompliance) the case management office can file a petition for evaluation for the need to be returned to a higher level of care (inpatient, in this case). Doc evaluatest the patient, patient goes to court, court either commits the patient or the patient goes free.
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Well, with any luck, it'll spread. Not all mentally ill patients, despite what people think, are harmless eccentrics. I see nothing wrong with forcing medication compliance on people who need it to keep from flipping out and possibly killing someone. I don't care if it's part of their delusion and they aren't doing it maliciously. It doesn't change the danger and it doesn't excuse it.
Here in Louisiana, there's nothing of the sort. It tends to go like this:
Patients are either indigent or committed by the courts, which ends up being the same thing--they get medicaid, and when it runs out, hey, they're cured! It's a MIRACLE!
And then we see them back in about two weeks for being dangerous because they refuse to take their meds....*sigh*
Sidhe