Far too often, writes Monique Patton Woody in her August Illinois Bar Journal article, “Discharged With Care,” my colleagues and I field calls and inquiries from hospitals regarding patients with mental illness and in need of discharge placement for various reasons, including homelessness, inability to live independently, or a need for transitional programming before returning to independent living. However, in these matters, placement is but one piece of the puzzle, Patton Woody notes.

In her article, she points to no shortage of cases demonstrating that a failure to dedicate the necessary time and resources to develop and implement an appropriate discharge plan can prove to be more costly—in both time and financial resources—than hospitals or mental health facilities anticipate, even if the facility is successful in the end. Patton Woody also discusses the ingredients necessary for successful discharge planning.

Read the August Illinois Bar Journal article, "Discharged With Care."