/ Deborah Chapman recalls trying to get a mental hygiene order executed on her nephew in Barboursville, West Virginia., Monday, March 15, 2021.
In West Virginia, when a person is thought to be a threat to themselves or others, they can be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility through a process known as a “mental hygiene petition.” These petitions, usually taken out by a family member or outreach worker, have to be approved by a county court and require a sheriff s deputy to help transport the person being committed.
But in Cabell County, data from a mental health facility show at least 75 mental hygiene orders went unanswered by the Cabell County Sheriff s Department in 2020. The sheriff says his department is overwhelmed.
/ Deborah Chapman recalls trying to get a mental hygiene order executed on her nephew in Barboursville, West Virginia., Monday, March 15, 2021.
In West Virginia, when a person is thought to be a threat to themselves or others, they can be involuntarily committed to a mental health facility through a process known as a “mental hygiene petition.” These petitions, usually taken out by a family member or outreach worker, have to be approved by a county court and require a sheriff s deputy to help transport the person being committed.
But in Cabell County, data from a mental health facility show at least 75 mental hygiene orders went unanswered by the Cabell County Sheriff s Department in 2020. The sheriff says his department is overwhelmed.