Henderson Behavioral Health was called under the Baker Act to temporarily commit Cruz for an involuntary psychiatric exam in November 2016, but its health professionals chose not to do so after visiting with him at the school, according to a 2016 Florida Department of Children and Families investigative report obtained by NBC News.
Under the Baker Act, individuals can be detained against their will for up to 72 hours. Those 17 and younger can be held for 12 hours.
[…]
A counselor at the school told the Florida Department of Children and Families investigators that a professional from the mental health facility had visited Cruz and “found him to be stable enough [to] not be hospitalized.” The school counselor expressed concern with the department, according to the report, and said she and her staff wanted to “ensure that the assessment of Henderson was not premature.”
Nonetheless, the Florida Department of Children and Families investigation was “closed with no indicators to support the allegations of inadequate supervision or medical neglect.”
Continue reading: Mental health agency examined Cruz in 2016, didn’t hospitalize him
Related story: Third-graders are selling AR-15 raffle tickets in Missouri
My first thought at the response from the Health people was … is hospitalization the only option when there are obvious mental problems? It seems to me (at the very least!) mandatory counseling would have been in order.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Absolutely, I’m sure there are a range of potential options which could have been taken. I suspect that cost considerations were a big factor in the decision, but the state agency and contractor would never admit it publicly. You know how Republicans are about spending money on poor people.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Good point.
LikeLiked by 1 person