A federal judge has issued an order to hospitals in the state to say that they must stop holding psychiatric patients in hospitals involuntarily. According to reporting by Fox News, the state will have exactly one year to make this happen.
U.S. District Court Judge Landya McCafferty issued an order that insists that New Hampshire stop holding patients like this. The order also gave a timeline of one year for the state to get its act together and make the required changes.
The judge also ruled that hospitals can only hold patients for six hours in the emergency room before transferring them to a facility for treatment. State officials wanted at least 12 hours in this ruling but have yet to receive that. The judge also asked for a status report from the state about how it is progressing on this every four months.
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New Hampshire has often been in a tough spot regarding the mental health situation within the state. Fox News reports that the mental health facilities in New Hampshire are overwhelmed and overburdened. People with mental health issues are frequently held in emergency rooms for hours or even days before they can receive the treatment they require.
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The judge's ruling in February was that the hospitals violated patients' rights by taking their property and keeping it from them while involuntarily held at the hospital. The patients argued their involuntary retainment in the emergency rooms without the right to protest their detainment, and the judge ruled in their favor.
A group of hospitals joined the opposite side of the lawsuit, arguing violations of their rights in this situation. For now, the state will have to make some significant changes and do so quickly.
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