A bill moving through the legislature changes the administration of medical treatment for people with mental illness. The House Health and Human Services Committee passed House Bill 1198, which amends existing legislation. Currently when someone is involuntarily committed physicians can administer medication for ten days, and then have a hearing. House Bill 1198 allows physicians to forcibly administer medication for ten additional days before a hearing is required. Representative Mike Stevens sponsors the bill. He says it allows time for patients to get better.
“I think it allows for them to see if the medication is working, because as we all know there has to be a certain level in your blood for it to even out, for that to work,” Stevens says. “Logistically it’s not tying up our courts. But over all I really look at this as a patient friendly amendment. I think it’s good for the patients. I think it’s good for them, and in that regard I think it would also reduce the number of cases that are scheduled for hearing and would allow more time to see that the process works correctly.”
The bill now moves to the house floor for further debate.