Baker Act Information

In addition to the Marchman Act for substance abuse, the Baker Act is a Florida statute that provides for court ordered involuntary assessment for mental health disorders. If carefully applied to a unified and strategically supportive care plan, it may represent a critical first step towards the long-term recovery process. Although this website does not provide legal advice, we do provide professional services to support all those impacted by substance abuse and mental health disorders. With MarchmanActFlorida you no longer have to wait for a crisis to take action. Your licensed intervention counselor may be able to initiate the Baker Act on-site provided specific criteria are met. Otherwise we will support efforts with local courts and first responders to initiate the process. Once the Baker Act is in place, we will continue to work to support manageable treatment solutions based on the clinical findings. An individual may be taken to a secured receiving facility for an involuntary mental health examination under the following conditions:

  1. The person has refused voluntary examination after conscientious explanation and disclosure of the purpose of the examination; or the individual is unable to determine whether examination is necessary; and
  2. Without care or treatment, the person is likely to suffer from neglect or refuse to care for himself or herself; such neglect or refusal poses a real and present threat of substantial harm to his or her well-being; and it is not apparent that such harm may be avoided through the help of willing family members or friends or the provision of other services; or
  3. There is substantial likelihood that without care or treatment the person will cause serious bodily harm to self or others in the near future, as evidenced by recent behaviors.

Give us a call to see how our services can assist your family.

Disclaimer

We are not attorneys nor are we affiliated with the state of Florida. If you would like a referral to an attorney or would like to discuss alternative intervention strategies call now at 833-497-3808

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