GIVE FAMILIES THE POWER.  Too many of our loved ones are suffering and dying due to mental illness and/or substance abuse.  It’s time to give family members, medical professionals and judges the power to mandate treatment.  

Florida has the Marchman Act and the Baker Act.  The Marchman Act provides a means of involuntary and voluntary assessment, stabilization & treatment of a person abusing alcohol & drugs. The Baker Act enables families and loved ones to provide emergency mental health services and temporary detention for people who are impaired because of their mental illness.

I have a family member who is mentally ill and chemically addicted.  She was recently harming herself. Over the last year we have been desperately trying to get her admitted to a hospital, but they either will not admit her or when they do admit her, they will not keep her for any significant amount of time because she believes she does not need to be there.  If you go to the hospital with a broken leg, you get admitted and treated.  It has been my experience that if you go to the hospital with a mental health crisis, more often than not, you will NOT be admitted. We are relying on people who are not thinking rationally to make decisions about their temporary detention and treatment. We, as family members, should have the power to ensure that our sick loved ones get treatment. Sadly, one of the only options at the present time in NYS is to have your loved one arrested in order to get them help.

Our local police force informed me that two-thirds of the population at the County Jail usually consists of the mentally ill and/or chemically addicted.  Our police officers are not doctors, counselors, or psychiatrists.  These people belong in a treatment facility not in jail.

I live in a small community in Western New York and it sadly has become an almost daily occurrence to hear about a son who committed suicide; a daughter who died from a drug overdose; a brother who is in prison because of a mental illness; grandparents who are raising their grandchildren because their son/daughter has a substance abuse problem; a sister who is now brain dead from a drug overdose, and on and on.

Mental Illness and Substance Abuse are both illnesses/diseases and it’s time that the State of New York recognizes this so our family members and loved ones can get the treatment they so desperately need. 

Not only is this behavior causing heartbreak and permanent injury to members of our community, but it is also costing us millions and millions of dollars.  How many ambulance calls, how many overdoses, how many hospital visits, how many police interactions, how many court appearances is it going to take before we finally say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!  STOP THE CYCLE AND GIVE US THE POWER TO GET TREATMENT FOR OUR LOVED ONES.