A forum will be hosted Thursday by Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency to educate mental health professionals and the general public about the impending implementation of SB-43. The legislation was passed two years ago and goes into effect at the start of the year. Hospitals and crisis stabilization units can already involuntarily commit a person with a mental health disorder to treatment or place them in a conservatorship if they’re determined to be a danger to themselves or others, or if they’re unable to care for their own basic needs. The new law expands the definition of “gravely disabled” to include those with a severe substance abuse disorder. The law is cited as one reason that Shasta County has a need for a proposed behavioral health campus. County officials will make a presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session. It starts at 9 O’clock Thursday morning in the Board of Supervisors Chambers in the Admin Building on Court Street.
-Steve Gibson