Families Rights Matter2 Announces 10‑Point National Reform Platform to Fix HIPAA and Protect Families During Mental‑Health Crises

KANSAS CITY, KS, March 07, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Families Rights Matter2, a growing national movement advocating for mental‑health crisis reform, today announced a comprehensive 10‑Point Policy Platform designed to close the most dangerous gaps in HIPAA and modernize America's mental‑health crisis response system. The platform addresses long‑standing failures that leave families powerless, patients unprotected, and communities at risk.

"Families are being shut out during the most critical moments of their loved ones' lives," said Leon Shelmire Jr., founder of Families Rights Matter2. "HIPAA was never designed for today's mental‑health crisis reality. Our platform brings common‑sense solutions that protect patients, empower families, and strengthen public safety."

THE 10‑POINT REFORM PLATFORM

1. Mandatory Family Communication During Mental‑Health Crises
HIPAA currently allows providers to share information with families but does not require it.
Reform: Providers must notify and communicate with families when a loved one is in crisis, at risk, or unable to make safe decisions.

2. National HIPAA Training to End Provider Confusion
Clinicians often misunderstand HIPAA and over‑restrict communication.
Reform: Require standardized national training so providers know exactly when family involvement is permitted and required.

3. Updated Consent Rules for Adults in Psychiatric Crisis
HIPAA treats all adults as capable decision‑makers, even during psychosis or suicidal crisis.
Reform: Create an emergency exception allowing temporary family involvement when a person is clearly not in their right mind.

4. Required Safety Updates to Families
Families are often denied basic information such as whether their loved one is safe or admitted.
Reform: Hospitals must provide essential safety updates during psychiatric emergencies.

5. Duty to Consider Family Input
Families can give information, but providers are not required to listen or document it.
Reform: Clinicians must document and consider family reports about danger, history, medication, and behavioral patterns.

6. Clear National Definition of "Incapacity"
HIPAA leaves "incapacity" up to individual interpretation, creating inconsistent outcomes.
Reform: Establish a national standard for determining incapacity during mental‑health crises.

7. Expand HIPAA to Cover Modern Crisis Systems
988 crisis lines, mobile crisis teams, and mental‑health apps often fall outside HIPAA.
Reform: Extend privacy and communication rules to all crisis‑response systems.

8. Mandatory State Intervention After Repeated Crisis Holds
Families are left helpless when loved ones cycle through crisis holds without long‑term care.
Reform: After a defined number of holds, the state must intervene with treatment, stabilization, and long‑term support.

9. Mental‑Health Crisis Response Units in Every Police Department
Police are not mental‑health professionals, yet they are often the first responders.
Reform: Require every police department to operate a dedicated mental‑health crisis unit so officers can focus on crime while trained specialists handle psychiatric emergencies.

10. Mental‑Health Treatment Units in All Jails and Prisons
People in crisis often end up in jails unequipped to treat them, especially when hospitals are full.
Reform: Require every jail and prison to operate a mental‑health treatment unit to stabilize individuals, ensure continuity of care, and protect community safety.

A National Call to Action
"These reforms are not about politics — they are about saving lives," Shelmire said. "Families deserve to have input, to be included in treatment planning, and to know their loved ones are safe. Communities deserve a crisis system that works. And people in crisis deserve treatment, not abandonment."

Families Rights Matter2 is calling on lawmakers, mental‑health leaders, and community organizations to support the platform and join the movement to modernize America's crisis‑response system.

About Families Rights Matter2
Families Rights Matter2 is a national advocacy movement dedicated to reforming mental‑health crisis laws, strengthening family rights, and ensuring no one faces a psychiatric emergency alone. The movement combines policy advocacy, public education, and community mobilization to drive systemic change.

Media Contact
Families Rights Matter2
Email: [email protected]
Petition: https://www.change.org/p/reform-hipaa-for-families-rights-in-mental-health-emergencies

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