Protective Legal Services for the Mentally Ill

An article in the August issue on the Mental Health Information Service of New York State, "Protective Legal Services for the Mentally Ill" by Kenneth Kramer, J.D., contained an error related to provisions of the state mental hygiene law. The third sentence in the sixth paragraph on page 253 should have read "Under Section 88 of the law, the Mental Health Information Service [not the hospital directors, as stated] is required to advise all newly admitted psychiatric patients, both voluntary and involuntary, of their legal rights and of procedures governing their admission, retention, and discharge."

Under other sections of the law, the hospital director is required to inform the patient of the availability of the MHIS and of his status and rights as a voluntary or an involuntary patient, and to transmit a copy of the hospitalization papers to the MHIS.