| Recently, we let everyone know that we are part of a group that is working on some new legislation to update the 6 Fundamental Rights. The Six (6) Fundamental Rights is a part of Section 23 of Chapter 123 of MA General Law. The first five rights were enacted in 1997, with the sixth following in 2015. They apply to all programs and facilities thata are operated, contracted or licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health. A quick summary of the 6 Fundamental Rights is as follows: 1. Reasonable access to a phone to make/receive confidential calls 2. Send and receive sealed, unopened, uncensored mail 3. Receive visitors daily and in private, at reasonable times 4. A humane environment including private and secure living space 5. Access legal representation, clinical providers and clergy 6. Reasonable daily access to fresh air We shared our initial draft of the legislation proposing updates and sought feedback. We received several responses via e-mail and the survey form we distributed. First, thank you to everyone who took the time to review the proposed legislation and offer your feedback! |
| We incorporated lots of the feedback; everything from a clearer definition of ‘peer support’ to recommending video phone access and more. Some really important feedback we received was unfortunately not able to be incorporated not because it wasn’t important, but because it really spoke to the need for different legislation separate from the 6 Fundamental rights. For example people recommended: * Needing similar laws in Emergency Rooms * Needing to reform the way complaints are handled We really hope to be able to come back to these important points with future legislative proposals. At this point, we have the draft we are moving forward to legislators in hopes of finding a sponsor. (A sponsor is needed from both the Senate and House in order to introduce versions of the bill to both branches.) We are working on that step and hope to be able to announce that the bill is getting officially submitted well before the mid-January deadline! You can view the legislative draft (as well as a mock up of what the law would look like if the legislation were passed) HERE! |
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