Ryan Ray
As mental health becomes an increasingly prominent issue in child welfare and especially following acts of public violence, discussion by Florida lawmakers has not kept pace. Florida’s famous “Baker Act” — formally known as the Florida Mental Health Act of 1971 — which allows for involuntary commitment to a medical institution in some cases hasn’t been in for a thorough review since the Chiles administration, when a panel addressed some provisions in 1996.
State Sen. Joe Abruzzo of Boynton Beach and Lantana state Rep. Lori Berman, both Democrats, want to change that. Toward that end they have filed SB 514 and HB 505 respectively, to end what the House Minority Office called a “repetitive cycle of commitment and treatment.”
“Florida’s Baker Act is in considerable need of revision,” said Abruzzo, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. “There are far too many people who are caught up in a revolving door of treatment and release with no long-term plan for turning things around. We need to review and revise the law to offer greater options and better outcomes.”
The legislation would compel the Department of Children and Families to create a “work group” by June 1, 2015, to recommend revisions to the law. The group will consist of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, law enforcement, judges and mental health specialists. Following their investigation, the legislation provides for creation of a November 1st final report to the heads of DCF and the Health Care Administration, as well as to the Senate president and House speaker.
“The hallmark of any really effective piece of legislation is its ability to adapt to the needs of the people,” said Berman, who serves on the House Health and Human Services Committee. “The proposed revisions are a significant step forward to ensure that the people of Florida have access to appropriate, critical care improved by an expert workgroup.”
So far the bills, filed Monday, have not been referred to committees.
2 comments
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Kristi Krug
February 26, 2015 at 8:36 am
I applaud the Representatives’ efforts. I hope that in addition to Doctors, Nurses and other healthcare professionals, the work-groups will include primary consumers of mental health services, and other mental health advocates from the community. “Nothing About Us Without Us”
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