Maine’s supreme court clarifies rules for holding psychiatric patients in emergency rooms
The court rules that a judge must be alerted within 24 hours if a psychiatric patient is to be held for an extended period during involuntary hospitalization.
By DAVID SHARPAssociated Press
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Psychiatric patients may not be held for extended periods in emergency rooms during an involuntary hospitalization without a judge being alerted, the state supreme court ruled Thursday.
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is enforcing a limit of five days, with a judge’s approval, for someone to be held in an emergency room against their will. A judge must be notified within 24 hours, the court said.
The congregate setting puts incarcerated people at high risk and correctional facilities across the country have been hotspots for COVID-19 outbreaks, including Maine's two largest at a single site.
From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
Alabama
Tuscaloosa:No community spikes in coronavirus infections related to last week’s celebration of the University of Alabama football team’s national championship have been reported at local hospitals. But Mayor Walt Maddox said Tuesday the situation could change in the coming days. New arrivals at DCH Health System hospitals have remained fairly level since the daily inpatient totals soared above 100 in early December, according to the latest data from City Hall. “Although it’s not going down, it’s not going up precipitously,” Maddox said, “and certainly we’ll take that bit of good news.” Outside of Monday’s count of 31, the number of those arriving at DCH Health System hospitals suffering from the coronavirus has averaged about 20 per day for the past week. In that span, DCH had admitted 154 new COVID-19 patients while discharging 176 who had recovered. Among those admitted, 36% are from within the Tuscaloosa city l
VP Harris sets example, Bow Wow apologizes, vaccine shortages: News from around our 50 states From USA TODAY Network and wire reports, USA TODAY
Alabama
Tuscaloosa: No community spikes in coronavirus infections related to last week’s celebration of the University of Alabama football team’s national championship have been reported at local hospitals. But Mayor Walt Maddox said Tuesday the situation could change in the coming days. New arrivals at DCH Health System hospitals have remained fairly level since the daily inpatient totals soared above 100 in early December, according to the latest data from City Hall. “Although it’s not going down, it’s not going up precipitously,” Maddox said, “and certainly we’ll take that bit of good news.” Outside of Monday’s count of 31, the number of those arriving at DCH Health System hospitals suffering from the coronavirus has averaged about 20 per day for the past week. In that span, DCH had admitted 154 ne