Week 3 Legislative Update
And another first for me
It’s week three of the Iowa legislative session and yesterday I did something I’ve never done before: I gave testimony during a House sub-committee meeting on a mental healthcare bill.
My great friend and fearless mental healthcare reform advocate Leslie Carpenter invited me to join her and another major state advocate, Nina Richtman (who shared her story with me last fall about how the mental healthcare system has failed her kids) to give brief remarks on several proposed House files related to mental health.
I’d previously only lobbied in limited capacity, like during NAMI-Iowa’s Day on the Hill, or through emails to my state Senators and House Reps before critical votes. I was, once again, totally green on the sub-committee process, and once relied on the guidance of others. (Leslie and Nina know what they’re doing.)
The first meeting was for House File HF123, an act relating to order for treatment of persons experiencing psychiatric deterioration, defined as:
The deterioration makes the person unable to understand the need to treat the person’s mental health condition
Based on the person’s history the person is unlikely to seek treatment for the deterioration
Within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, unless the person receives treatment, the deterioration is likely to continue until the person has a serious mental impairment.
Related to this proposed bill, Leslie, Nina, and I had an interesting conversation about how mental illness is often referred to as an “invisible disease,” which is true, but not always. The three of us cited multiple instances where we could physically see symptoms of illness and deterioration in our loved ones. In their facial expressions, eyes, changed gestures, and more (something I just discussed in my column on Monday). Over time, people close to a person with a serious mental illness can recognize outward signs of deterioration, but feel helpless to stop it. With Chase, I first hear it in his voice, and can see it in how he writes his emails. With my relative, R, I first see it in his eyes, the set of his jaw, and like Chase, in the changes in his voice and speech patterns.
This proposed bill could help so many families in preventing further and more detrimental deterioration with meaningful interventions (like hospitalizations), and I’m pleased to report it passed through the House sub-committee.
You can read the full HF123 here.
I next had the opportunity to attend a sub-committee meeting on HF2507, an act relating to juvenile justice, including juvenile delinquency, child in need of assistance (CHINA) and family in need of assistance proceedings, juvenile justice reform, juvenile court expenses and costs, including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions, and making appropriations.
In a nutshell, this proposed bill would make improvements to existing law to more effectively define standards for removing a child from a home, and to secure the least restrictive care for a child’s placement with a preference for placement with the child’s family or an adult who has an existing relationship with the child.
I first learned about parents being forced to get a CHINA for a child with complex needs from my interview with Nina, and she gave powerful personal testimony during the meeting yesterday. It was interesting to hear how stakeholders were able to work together on amendments, and it passed the House subcommittee.
You can read the full HF2507 here.
Finally, I attended the sub-committee meeting for HF124, an act relating to discharge of involuntarily committed person from a facility or hospital requiring prior to discharge from the treating facility:
Refer the person to an administrative services organization (ASO) for evaluation, case management, and post-discharge services
Assess the the person for suicide risk
Provide the person with a 30-day supply of all medications prescribed before or after treatment, including psychiatric and non-psychiatric meds
Provide the person or person’s legal rep with a discharge report
Notify certain persons such as a legal guardian, parent, spouse, attorney, or adult siblings as applicable.
For this meeting, I gave testimony about how the “treat ‘em and street ‘em” approach of psychiatric-related hospitalizations has negatively impacted R, and how he’s been repeatedly discharged from hospitals back to the streets with only a paper script for his meds. Furthermore, his parents—under whom he has insurance—are often not notified when he’s discharged.
Knowing that he’s homeless, jobless, and has no personal transportation, these discharges are irresponsible and directly contribute to the revolving door of admissions and discharges many patients can’t get out of. All while their loved ones are left helpless and frustrated.
I was VERY happy to see this one pass the House sub-committee despite opposition from lobbyists for private medial corporations, like Unity Point. And I was further impressed with Rep. Ann Meyer, who co-wrote two of the three bills I’ve mentioned here, and Health&Human Services committee chair Rep. Eddie Andrews (43rd District).
You can read the full HF124 here.
Still much work to be done, but a hopeful start to this legislative session.
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