Justice Department wants Mississippi to expand community mental health services
Northeast Mississippi Daily JournalMay 21, 2021
May 21—JACKSON — The
As part of the ongoing litigation between the federal government and the
"The Proposed Remedial Plan provides for a Court-appointed Monitor both because of the complexity of the issues in this case and because of the State's decade-long failure to remedy widely acknowledged deficiencies in its adult mental health system," the DOJ's filing reads.
The main thread the federal government uses to weave its arguments together is that the state relies too heavily on state-run hospitals to treat mental health patients instead of allowing them to get mental health treatment in their own communities.
The DOJ argues that when patients go to state hospitals, they often stay there for long periods of time and become recurring patients.
"At the
The federal government's proposal is in response to a court order issued by Reeves requiring both attorneys for the state and the
The state earlier this month argued in its own submitted plan that it has made sufficient improvements since in 2019 where Reeves found that the state "operates a system that unlawfully discriminates against persons with serious mental illness."
"The Court should therefore not issue sweeping relief that invades the inner, day-to-day workings of State government," the state's plan read.
While both the state and the federal government submitted plans for more community services, the two proposals paint two drastically different remedial plans for the state.
The federal government has submitted a detailed plan wanting the state to offer more expansive community services with a monitor acting as a watchdog to the state.
The state has simply stated that it's made improvements in its community services with more on the way and that the court should dismiss the pending suit.
The attorneys will also convene for a new hearing before the court in June, where the court is expected to make a ruling on the plans sometime after the hearing.
Reeves thus far has been highly critical of the state's mental health system and sided with the federal government's allegations and proposals.
Before speaking at the
If Reeves rules in favor of the DOJ, Fitch's office could appeal the ruling to the
Fitch said if Reeves orders additional federal remedies to improve state mental health services, she would not rule out appealing the decision to a higher court.
The state was forced to enter into a remedial process after
Reeves concluded that Mississippians with mental illness were essentially being segregated to state-run hospitals instead of being treated within community centers, violating federal law.
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