NHS Borders’ Post

What is Massachusetts Section 12? Massachusetts Section 12 refers to a provision under the Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 123, Section 12, which governs the process for the involuntary hospitalization of individuals who are deemed to pose a risk of harm to themselves or others due to mental illness. Here are the key points about this provision: 1. **Criteria for Commitment**: Section 12 allows for the involuntary commitment of a person who is believed to have a mental illness and, as a result, poses a substantial risk of serious harm to themselves or others. This harm can be physical harm or the inability to care for themselves, leading to significant deterioration in their physical condition. 2. **Emergency Application**: The law permits certain professionals, such as licensed physicians, qualified psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialists, or police officers, to apply for an emergency commitment if they have a good faith belief that the individual meets the criteria. 3. **Duration of Commitment**: An individual can be held involuntarily for up to three days (72 hours) under Section 12(a). During this time, they must be evaluated to determine if further treatment is necessary. If continued commitment is required beyond this period, additional legal steps must be taken. 4. **Procedure**: The process typically begins with an examination by a qualified professional who must determine that the individual meets the criteria for involuntary hospitalization. If they do, an application for temporary hospitalization is filed, and the individual is taken to a designated facility for evaluation and care. 5. **Rights of the Individual**: Individuals committed under Section 12 have the right to be informed of the reasons for their hospitalization and the right to legal representation. They may also challenge their commitment in court. The purpose of Section 12 is to ensure that individuals who are in crisis and unable to seek help voluntarily receive the necessary care and evaluation while protecting their rights and ensuring due process. #section12 #BakerAct #detention #release #habeascorpus #mentalhealth #mentalillness

Honestly, all of this should be mandated in every state. Home health workers put their safety on the line on a regular basis. They are very often left with little or no de-escalation training, no advance patient screening process, and a cell phone as their only safety device. It shouldn’t take a tragedy like the one that triggered this proposed law to enact change. I’m hopeful that this law will pass and serve as a new standard of home health safety and security nationwide. #healthcare #healthcaresecurity #homehealthcare #healthcareleaders #violenceprevention #riskmanagement

Taku is the right person at the right time to help us see challenges clearly and find solutions that are personal, systemic, and rooted in responsiveness and justice.

Neil Ward summarises a recent DoLS case which sets out: 🖌️what is meant by “unsoundness of mind” 🤓the professional evidence required and 📝 some helpful reminders on Re X procedures #mentalcapacity #courtofprotection #dols

Emergency medical planning is essential to ensure your wishes are respected in case of incapacity. 🏥 We never think we're going to have an incapacity event, such as a stroke, dementia, or a traumatic brain injury, but statistics show these are some of the most common causes of incapacity. Make sure you're prepared with a Designation of Health Care Surrogate that appoints someone you trust to make decisions when you can't. An Advance Directive outlines your preferences for end-of-life care, such as a Living Will, taking the burden of tough choices off your loved ones' shoulders. Don’t forget a HIPAA release to allow your family access to important medical information. 📑 Planning ahead eases the minds of loved ones, knowing you've outlined a plan for them to follow, and ensures your wishes are honored even when you can't communicate them yourself. Dedicated to preserving generational wealth. 💰 Barreau Legal, PLLC* 1860 SW Fountainview Blvd, Suite 100 Port St. Lucie, FL 34986 877-258-0929 [email protected] blegalfl.com *With locations in Port St. Lucie, FL; Stuart, FL; West Palm Beach, FL; St. Paul, MN; and Washington, DC #BarreauLegal #generationalwealth #estateplanningattorney #floridaestateplanning #legacyplanning #floridaprobateattorney #floridaprobate #personalrepresentative #executor #dcestateplanning #dcattorney #minnesotaattorney #MedicalPlanning #HealthcareDecisions #EmergencyPlan

The Loneliest Generation 🧠💔 In a world more connected than ever, we are also the loneliest. According to the latest poll by the American Psychiatric Association, nearly 30% of people ages 18 to 34 feel lonely every day or multiple times a week. 💬 I remember when I worked as an EMT in Emergency Medical Services, hearing paramedics say: "They call us because they have no one else." It was heartbreaking. Communication ≠ Connection. Sure, we’re always in touch via: 📱 Social media 📧 Emails 💬 Texts But for many—especially men—loneliness is still at an all-time high. If you feel this way, know you are not alone. Here are 3 ways to take a step toward connection: 1️⃣ Call an old friend, reach out to family, or say "Yes" to that coffee/lunch invite. 2️⃣ Reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, You call 988. 3️⃣ Plug in to your local church community to find a group of people to Do Life with, to walk alongside you. Yesterday, I reconnected with some old friends over dinner, and it was a reminder of how important community is. Let’s keep building and supporting one another. 🤝 #Loneliness #MensHealth #CommunityMatters #ReachOut

SHOULD JUDGES DECIDE LIFE OR DEATH? UK’s Assisted Dying Bill will make judges responsible for death decisions ☝🏻 Is it right that judges decide whether someone lives or dies? 👨🏼⚖️ If you were a high court judge, would you want to make that choice? Is the decision really only a legal one? Should it not also involve medical practitioners, doctors who have treated the patient and know them? Then again, should medical staff, already under increasing pressure, be burdened with such options? Whatever your thoughts on assisted dying, this article by TheConversion.com presents compelling arguments against the End of Life Bill in its current form. Adam McCann, Associate Professor of Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, University of Reading, says that while the current law on assisted dying needs reform, the new Bill is not the way to go. 📄Under the new bill’s terms, every end-of-life assistance application must be submitted to the High Court for approval, thus making it a purely legal decision. Of the 27 jurisdictions worldwide that have legalised assisted dying, England and Wales will be the only ones advocating for this approach. The rationale behind it is to unburden doctors from having to assess a patient’s capacity to decide to end their life. However, McCann thinks it’s because the Government believes they can’t be trusted to do so. Well, many of us remember the case of Dr Harold Shipman 💀, so yes, safeguards must be in place. But surely medical staff understand more about a patient’s suffering, mental capacity and need for mercy than a judge who’s never met them? Aside from that, the practical burden on an already stretched high court system could be significant. The article introduces an alternative: the Dutch Review System, which demands a committee approach involving independent specialists and doctors. However, committees are notorious for inefficiency—lengthy debates and endless bureaucracy. Delayed decisions often define their process. 👉🏻What are your thoughts? #assisteddying #endoflifebill #justicsystem #highcourt #deathdecision #mentalhealth  Image courtesy of iStock-613903334 Victor Huang

Dear helpers, healers, professional caregivers. Teachers, medical providers, researchers, first responders, birth workers, body workers, Please take a look at this brief survey I put together to support some writing I’m working on. TL/DR: I would love to learn about your lived experience with secondary traumatic stress. If that’s not you— or even if it is!— I would appreciate it if you could circulate this within your network(s). Share widely! Link: https://lnkd.in/dddMRqqN

There is still time to preorder our forthcoming title, "Mental Health Issues of Child Maltreatment: Contemporary Strategies" Visit stmlearning.com to get 10% off your order of both volumes! This workbook set is a vital resource for professionals across multiple fields and contains the most up-to-date, peer-reviewed research. #newbook

Mental Health Counselors and Marriage and Family Therapists can now, for the first time, opt-in to Medicare! This is huge, but what are Medicare's reimbursement rates? Resource below! How do I find them? Some instructions have 11 steps for clinicians to look up their reimbursement rates. Just show me the money! Lets simplify this...I built a tool that you can use to easily look up your rate according to the 2024 Physician Fee Schedule. It isn't pretty, but it is accurate (let me know if you find any errors!). Just select which CPT code and choose your location and that is it. Hope this saves someone some time and headache while looking up rates for LPCs and LMFTs. https://lnkd.in/gw2CA9M9