Mississippi has 120 days to come up with proposed long-term plan for how it will work to prevent unnecessary institutionalizations of people with mental illness in state hospitals, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves ordered that the state’s initial plan be submitted to the U.S. Justice Department and an independent monitor, Michael Hogan, for feedback. The final plan must be completed in 180 days.
Hogan is a mental health care veteran with 40 years’ experience. He previously served as special master amid the ongoing litigation between the Mississippi Department of Health and the federal government.
Hogan is “well-suited by qualifications, experience and judgment to serve as Monitor in this case,” Reeves wrote.
The Justice Department sued Mississippi in 2016, and Reeves ruled the state was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.