HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter from Chico Housing Action Team - Laura's Law BUTTE COUNTY
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2018
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Chico Housing ,fiction Team
Chico Housing Action Team
PO Box 4,868
Chico, CA 95927
March 19, 2018
Board of Supervisors
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200
Oroville, CA 95965
RE: Laura's Law
Dear Board of Supervisors
This letter is to request, on behalf of Chico Housing..Action Team (CHAT),that you take
action to implement Laura's Law for the County of Butte. Laura's Law allows
community-based, court ordered outpatient treatment ("assisted outpatient treatment"
or"ADT") for people with severe mental illness. Many people with mental illness do not
seek treatment because they are not aware of their illness. If people are able to get by
and function with their mental illness, they should never be forced into treatment.
Laura's Law is for people with severe mental illness who are not able to survive safely,
and who are deteriorating and causing serious concern for their families or those
working closely or living with them due to their untreated mental illness. Laura's Law
provides a vehicle for getting such persons into intensive, ongoing treatment before a
tragedy occurs.
It is important to note that Laura's Law provides for outpatient treatment only; that is,
the person is not required to go into a hospital, but may continue hiving at home while
taking prescribed medications and participating in therapy,as ordered by a judge. If
the person fails to comply with the court's order,the person will not be jailed or
institutionalized. At most,the person may be placed on a 72 hour hold for evaluation.
It has been shown that most people who are ordered by a judge to cooperate with
treatment will do so, even without threat of incarceration.
Laura's Law very effectively balances the patient's right to self-determination and due
process of law with the need for society to intervene in some cases for the sake of public
health and safety. Under Laura's lava, involuntary, court-ordered treatment may be
imposed only when a judge finds, by clear and convincing evidence,that the person:
• has a condition likely to substantially deteriorate,
is unlikely to survive safely in the community without supervision
• has a history of noncompliance that includes either two hospitalizations in the past 35
months, or an act,threat, or attempt of violence to self or others in the past 48 months;
• is likely to need treatment to prevent becoming a danger to self or others,or gravely
disabled;
• is likely to benefit from assisted treatment, and
• this is the least restrictive means of getting the person into treatment.
All these factors and more must be found to exist before treatment can be ordered,and
this happens only after the person has had an attorney appointed, and has received fair
notice and an opportunity to be heard.
Laura's Law and similar laws across the country have successfully enabled people with
severe mental illness to access the treatment they need while living independently in
the community. These laws have reduced homelessness,as well as violent assaults and
suicides. The only problem with Laura's Law is that it does not apply in our county
unless and until our Board of Supervisors votes to implement it. In conjunction with
adopting Laura's Law,the County must make additional services available to people
ordered into treatment under this law. Although some additional cost may be involved
for those additional services, that cost is greatly outweighed by the benefits and savings
to the community that will result from preventive care to those most acutely in need of
mental health services. These persons will have fewer emergency room visits, fewer
first responder calls,and fewer violent incidents. MHSA funding is available to provide
the extra services needed by Laura's Law patients, and nineteen California counties
have already adopted Laura's Law.
We urge you to adopt and implement Laura's Law in Butte County as soon as possible,
along with the necessary services to allow Laura's Law to operate successfully in our
communities.
Respec fu y yours,
Leslie ohnson, Secretary
Chico Housing Action Team