Resident alleges family member was improperly held at Houston Behavioral Health Hospital; asks council for transparency

Jason Cohen used the personal-and-audience-comments portion of the May 5 meeting to tell the council his family’s experience involving his sister and Houston Behavioral Health Hospital, and to ask city leaders for transparency about related police interactions.

What the resident alleged (attribution) Cohen said the episode occurred a little over a year ago when his sister experienced a behavioral-health crisis. He told council Bellaire police were called by his parents and that his sister was taken to “Houston Behavioral Health Hospital” and, he said, held there for nearly a month. Cohen characterized the extended detention as inconsistent with a 48‑hour emergency hold framework he referred to as the “Baker Act” (a Florida statute he cited). He said hospital staff administered antipsychotic medications against his sister’s will and that the hospitalization left her in worse condition when she was released. Cohen described the hospitalization as “elder abuse” as he…