Can I provide supplemental information for the mental health screen, and how will I know whether the evaluation results in the initiation of an involuntary commitment proceeding?

Please provide your contact information to law enforcement and/or the hospital facility so that the JCMHC screener can contact you directly to inquire regarding the patient’s current and historical mental health symptoms, treatment, diagnosis, and other relevant information. This will be important if the patient’s mental state is such that they are not willing or able to participate in the screen. Let the screener know if there is a legal guardianship in place through the Courts. 

You can call the District Attorney’s Office Care and Treatment Paralegal, Jill Cochran, at 913-715-3035, or the main reception line at 913-715-3000, the morning following the individual’s admission to the hospital/treatment facility.  We can update you as to whether we received an approved screen for involuntary commitment and whether our office will file a petition that day.  If we do file a petition for involuntary commitment, the Court will sign an ex parte order, which will result in the patient being detained at the facility until the probable cause hearing. This hearing will occur no later than the end of the second business day after the filing.