Holland Reporter

Rep. Mary Whiteford’s (R-Casco Township) bill to establish crisis stabilization units in Michigan has moved onto the state Senate after passing through the state House.

Whiteford said, “Crisis stabilization units can conduct prompt assessments, stabilize patients and determine the appropriate level of care they need," according to the Michigan House Republicans website.

The units Whiteford is advocating for would act as inpatient facilities on a small scale, providing mental health care to those in crisis.

“The units would provide prescreening or clinical services designed to prevent a behavioral health crisis or reduce acute symptoms on an immediate, intensive and timely basis,” Whiteford told Michigan House Republicans.

Under current procedures and practices, someone struggling with a mental health crisis in Michigan may find themselves in an emergency room or even confined to a jail cell, rather than receiving the specific treatment and assistance they need. That only multiplies the problems that the person is already facing, both for themselves and for society as a whole.

Whiteford’s bill would create an alternative for those individuals, permitting them to receive the proper care and evaluation that they need.

If passed by the state Senate and signed into law by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Whiteford’s bill would require the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to “establish minimum standards and requirements for a certified crisis stabilization unit,” according to the release.

Those minimum standards would include a capacity to conduct emergency receiving and evaluation, involuntary and voluntary admission capabilities, maximum lengths of stay, a prohibition on billing for hospital our inpatient services, pharmacy services and the capacity to administer medications, safety and emergency protocols, nursing standards and client-to-staff ratios, and a standard complaint process.