SB 2157 Summary

• Authorizes peace officers, physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and mental health professionals to take individuals into custody without court intervention when there is immediate serious risk of harm and safety considerations prevent delay.

• Expands authority to include emergency medical services professionals directing treatment, in addition to physicians acting in person.

• Requires state hospitals and public treatment facilities to immediately accept screened and medically stable individuals on a provisional basis, with examination and court notification within twenty-four hours.

• Allows private treatment facilities to hold individuals for up to twenty-three hours in anticipation of transfer to public facilities without conducting immediate examinations or following standard transfer notice and hearing requirements.

• Requires courts to hold hearings within forty-eight hours of receiving notice from facility superintendents or directors and decide whether to release the individual, modify treatment orders, or authorize continued hospitalization.