Martha Stringer holds a photo of her daughter, Kim, from when she was in high school. Kim is 27 now.
Brett Sholtis / Transforming Health
Family’s quest raises hard issue of involuntary commitment
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Ed Mahon
Brett Sholtis / Transforming Health
Martha Stringer holds a photo of her daughter, Kim, from when she was in high school. Kim is 27 now.
This NPR story provided a helpful guide for how cities, including Baltimore, were preparing for anticipated raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Los Angeles Times reported the raids “appeared to begin Sunday amid anxiety in immigrant communities across the country and questions about how extensive the much-hyped action would actually be.” –Ed Mahon, PA Post reporter
‘She doesn’t belong in prison. She needs help’
Brett Sholtis / Transforming Health
Martha Stringer holds a photo of her daughter, Kim, from when she was in high school. Kim is 27 now.
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Transforming Health reporter Brett Sholtis looks at the issue of involuntary commitment through the story of one Bucks County family. “We can’t seem to get her help, because she doesn’t want it,” Martha Stringer said of her 27-year-old daughter, Kim.
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In high school, Kim was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. But after she turned 18, she stopped taking medication and refused psychiatric treatment. Kim also agreed to be interviewed for Brett’s story, published as part of the Through the Cracks series focused on mental health services.
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Brett also looked at a recent change in the state’s involuntary commitment law, passed as a way to help people like Kim. But no county in Pa. has set up one of the involuntary outpatient commitment programs that the new law established, Brett reports.
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Keith Byrne, who came to the United States from Ireland more than 10 years ago, was arrested last week and faced imminent deportation. WHYY’s Laura Benshoff told the story of Byrne and his family as an example of the ongoing impact of less-publicized enforcement of immigration laws in the United States.
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Katie also looked at money that was stashed into the state budget package. Steve Bloom, vice president of the conservative Commonwealth Foundation, says the projects might be worthy but “what’s lacking is an open, transparent and competitive process.”
