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alp227

(31,962 posts)
Sun Jul 8, 2012, 02:10 PM Jul 2012

S.F. tries version of Laura's Law for mentally ill

After years of debate over how to deal with the city's large population of severely mentally ill people who refuse treatment, San Francisco officials have quietly implemented a version of the controversial Laura's Law.

The Department of Public Health treats 23,000 mental health patients each year. Reaching a few dozen of the worst cases could help reduce the cost for care and emergency services and improve the quality of life on the streets where residents and tourists alike often complain about mentally ill homeless people creating havoc, city leaders said.

City leaders have never adopted Laura's Law, but the Department of Public Health initiated a voluntary version of the law last year to treat a handful of people who were patients in the psychiatric ward of San Francisco General Hospital. The first set of results being evaluated now show promise, city officials said.

Laura's Law allows counties to compel outpatient treatment in extreme cases, but it does not require patients to take medication.

full: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-tries-version-of-Laura-s-Law-for-mentally-ill-3691087.php

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