Bill > H1799

This bill aims to expedite inpatient mental health care treatment by implementing several changes to existing laws. It mandates that hospitals develop plans for evening and night coverage consistent with available physician resources and national standards. For individuals deemed indigent, meaning they cannot afford legal representation, the bill requires that any requested independent medical examination be scheduled within 24 hours of their lawyer's appointment and completed within three business days, removing previous exceptions for delays. It also shortens the timeframe for certain evaluations from fourteen days to five days and requires that hearings for patients in inpatient mental health facilities be conducted within seven days of a petition being filed. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Children and Families, in collaboration with the Child Advocate's Office, to establish a streamlined process for administering antipsychotic medication to young people in their care who are hospitalized in psychiatric facilities.