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Encourage changes in Law Enforcement and Department
of Motor Vehicles policies to protect the public
from dangerous consequences due to mental illness.
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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. |
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1 |
Require
Law-enforcement personnel to be adequately trained &
educated to recognize the signs and characteristics related
to serious mental illness. |
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| 2 |
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. |
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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. |
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| 4 |
Lobby
for strict gun-control measures of all high-risk mental
health patients, especially those who have been hospitalized. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 1 |
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.
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| 2 |
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. |
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| 3 |
Mandatory
follow up with patients to ensure the patient is complying
with the discharge protocol. |
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| 4 |
Develop
a Mental Health Advocacy program which encourages involvement
and input from family members when concerns about mental
health issues arise. |
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