After Lorraine Van Blarcom, a long-time NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) mental health advocate in Rutherford County was killed last year by her son during an episode of untreated mental illness, Rep. Kent Coleman (D-Murfreesboro) stepped forward to sponsor a bill to prevent other families from suffering a similar fate. 

“Nothing can change what has happened with my grandmother,” said Amanda Hargis, granddaughter of the late Loraine Van Blarcom.  “We can’t bring her back, but my hope is that the Red Flag Law will prevent a tragedy like this from happening to another family. Knowing that we have helped to honor my grandmother would make her death and the circumstances surrounding it just little more bearable.”

The Red Flag Law, known as Lorraine’s Law, provides law enforcement with an additional tool to prevent the escalation of a mental health crisis.

When a law enforcement officer making an arrest suspects the offender may have mental illness, the officer contacts the local community mental health crisis team.

When the Red Flag Law is invoked, the offender may be held up to 12 hours in jail or until the crisis assessment is completed, which ever comes first. 

If the crisis team determines the person has mental illness and poses danger to self or others, the person may be committed to a psychiatric hospital.

“We are fortunate to have an elected official as skilled and principled as Representative Coleman,” said Sita Diehl, NAMI Director of State Advocacy. “An attorney by profession, Representative Coleman fully understood the seriousness of the issue and the need to build additional protections into the law. He worked closely with NAMI to craft a bill that would prevent persons with mental illness from committing acts of violence and divert them to treatment where appropriate, while still protecting individual civil rights.”

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a grassroots organization of families and individuals affected by severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia and PTSD.

NAMI is dedicated to improving quality of life for all who are affected by mental illness, individuals, families and communities. 

NAMI Rutherford County support groups meet the second Thursday of each month, 7 p.m. at the Veterans Community Care Center, 260 Glenis Drive in Murfreesboro.