Washington Ban On Psychiatric ER Boarding May Have Longer Legs

You may have missed it – on August 7, 2014, the Washington State Supreme Court ruled that the practice of “psychiatric boarding” for individuals under civil commitment violates state law (see Washington State Court Bans ‘Psychiatric Boarding’ In Emergency Departments). In this case, "psychiatric boarding" occurs when a patient in psychiatric emergency remains in a hospital emergency department while waiting for admission to a psychiatric facility. Why the ruling? In Washington State Supreme Court Rules Leaving Mentally Ill in Emergency Rooms Is Illegal, authors Andy Mannix and Lynn Thompson report that in Washington State:

The practice of boarding quintupled from 2009 . . .