Senate Bill No. 226 Summary

• Expands the definition of "gravely disabled" to include persons who lack judgment in managing resources and conducting social relations to the extent their health or safety is significantly endangered, and clarifies that a person of any age can be gravely disabled if they have a mental illness or mental disorder

• Adds "gravely disabled" as a criterion for involuntary detention and civil commitment alongside "likelihood of serious harm," allowing facilities to detain individuals who meet this standard even without immediate danger to self or others

• Modifies eligibility for prosecuting attorneys and county counselors to employ mental health specialists in certain counties, changing the facility capacity requirement from "at least eighty persons on overnight, inpatient basis" to simply requiring an "inpatient mental health facility" operated by the state department of mental health or University of Missouri

• Updates mental health statutes to include "gravely disabled" standard throughout detention and commitment procedures, from initial 96-hour evaluations through extended inpatient and outpatient commitment periods

• Allows alcohol and drug abuse facilities to transfer detainees presenting grave disability to mental health facilities for up to 96 hours of evaluation and treatment before filing further detention petitions