Families Rights Matter2, a national advocacy movement, has announced a comprehensive 10-point policy platform designed to address critical gaps in HIPAA and modernize America's mental health crisis response system. The platform, released March 7, 2026, targets long-standing failures that leave families powerless and patients unprotected during psychiatric emergencies.
According to the organization, current HIPAA regulations allow but do not require providers to share information with families, even when a loved one is in crisis. The proposed reforms include mandatory family communication during mental-health crises, a national definition of incapacity, and expanded HIPAA coverage to include modern crisis systems such as 988 hotlines and mobile crisis teams.
Leon Shelmire Jr., founder of Families Rights Matter2, emphasized the urgency of change: "Families are being shut out during the most critical moments of their loved ones' lives. HIPAA was never designed for today's mental-health crisis reality." The platform also calls for updated consent rules for adults in psychiatric crisis, required safety updates to families, and a duty for clinicians to document and consider family input.
Additional points address systemic issues: mandatory state intervention after repeated crisis holds, dedicated mental-health crisis response units in police departments, and mental-health treatment units in all jails and prisons. Shelmire noted that these reforms are nonpartisan and focused on saving lives, stating, "Families deserve to have input, to be included in treatment planning, and to know their loved ones are safe."
The movement is urging lawmakers and mental-health leaders to support the platform. A related petition is available at Change.org. Families Rights Matter2 continues to advocate for systemic change through policy advocacy, public education, and community mobilization.
