With Washington’s opioid-abuse and behavioral health crises worsening by the day, lawmakers in Olympia are working on legislation to strengthen the state’s Involuntary Treatment Act. Dan Frizzell from the Washington State House Democratic Caucus has that story.
Until Ricky’s Law took effect last year, it was close to impossible to have someone hospitalized against their will, even if they were in danger of harming themselves or others, or if they were clearly in the depths of a dangerous behavioral health crisis. Ricky’s Law, spearheaded by a young activist from Shoreline named Lauren Davis and formally called the Involuntary Treatment Act, changed that. It set up a system in which people meeting a strict set of criteria could be committed for 72 hours for evaluation and treatment, with an option for the courts to order continued treatment. Problem was, the law was new, and complicated, and logistical realities made it difficult to enforce in some parts of the state. That young activist behind Ricky’s Law is now Democratic State Representative Lauren Davis, and she’s working now to iron out the bugs and make sure the law works to save lives, as intended when she began lobbying for it nearly four years ago. Here’s Davis:
DAVIS: “House Bill 1907 is intended to ensure that Ricky’s Law is uniformly implemented across every county in our state, so that no matter where a person is who is suffering from a life-threatening substance-use disorder, that their family, their loved ones, their providers, can get them life-saving care.”
Ricky’s Law two, as some are calling it, passed the House unanimously earlier this month and is set for a vote in a key Senate committee this week. In Olympia, I’m Dan Frizzell.