Disability Rights Vermont urges narrow expansion to allow ED physician assistants to make initial psychiatric certifications Disability Rights Vermont told the House Health Committee it supports H 573 to let physician assistants in emergency departments perform the initial certification for involuntary psychiatric holds, but urged narrowing the language and adding reporting and automatic preliminary-hearing safeguards.

Disability Rights Vermont is advocating for a crucial change to allow emergency department physician assistants to expedite psychiatric certifications, potentially transforming care for those in crisis.

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Advocates tell House Judiciary Committee to 'write disability rights into every bill,' urge parental protections and community supports Disability advocates told the House Judiciary Committee that lawmakers should embed disability rights reviews into every bill, pressed for stronger protections for parents with disabilities (referenced in testimony as 'age 3 15'), and warned against creating new forensic facilities until community-based alternatives and staffing gaps are addressed.

Disability advocates are calling for a critical shift in Vermont's legislative process by demanding that every bill undergo a thorough disability rights review to protect parents and families.

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Disability Rights Vermont urges state to invest in community supports to reduce institutionalization Disability Rights Vermont told the Senate Institutions Committee that the state’s protection‑and‑advocacy role exposes recurring harms inside corrections and that expanding community mental‑health supports and reentry services — including ensuring IDs for people leaving prison — would reduce costly institutional stays and improve outcomes.

Vermont's Disability Rights advocate reveals alarming gaps in care for individuals with disabilities, urging a shift from costly institutionalization to community-based support for better, safer outcomes.

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