Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Providers, prosecutors and zones urge clearer timing for emergency mental-health holds; committee hears 72-hour option
Summary
Hospital and provider representatives urged the Senate Human Services Committee to clarify when the statutory 24-hour involuntary hold begins and to consider a 72-hour hold, citing rural transport times and lab/testing delays; the committee heard fiscal and operational questions but did not vote on SB 2171.
Providers, prosecutors and human services zone directors told the Senate Human Services Committee that North Dakota’s 24-hour emergency mental-health hold can be impractical in rural areas and asked for statutory clarity or expansion to a 72-hour hold.
Ty Hegland, CEO of Prairie St. John’s, a 132-bed acute psychiatric hospital in Fargo, described long transport distances and volunteer ambulance reliance that can leave little or no time remaining on a 24-hour hold by the time a patient reaches an assessment facility. “Quite often when they present to an ER, an ER provider is…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
