PRINT Associated Press Lawsuit claims Washington state not caring for sick babies Feds threaten to cut funding to psychiatric hospital 3 times Forest Service wants more controlled burns in…
Friday, October 9
PRINT Associated Press Equipment malfunction causes explosion at Washington dam Study says highway runoff kills salmon but filters can help Inslee: Rewrite clean-water rules before EPA does Few pull…
Rep. Kristine Lytton’s Legislative Update
Dear Friends and Neighbors, Fall is here, school is back in session, and, believe it or not, I’ve already started preparing for next session. With session running so long this…
Thursday, October 8
PRINT Associated Press Truant label more likely to go to poor, minority students State says Seattle tunnel delays could cost $78 million Washington state asks China to consider loaning…
Joel’s Law fixes a problem. Here’s how to make use of it
Joel Reuter was a young man in crisis. For years he had suffered from bipolar disorder and had previously been committed under Arizona’s petition system, monitored for a year to make sure he was recovering.
And for five years, Joel lived in Seattle without any significant mental health issues, working as a software engineer and living on Capitol Hill. But when he started showing signs of another crisis, his family tried 48 times to get their son the help he needed.
On July 5, 2013, Joel was killed in a standoff with police while suffering from a crisis where he thought he was shooting at zombies.
Joel’s Law was approved by the Legislature this year. It allows courts to order involuntary commitment if, after reviewing a family member’s petition and statement, feels that detention is warranted. Joel’s family would have been able to petition the courts to overrule decisions to not commit Joel to a facility if this law had been in effect.