Senate Bill 5765 reenacts and amends parts of chapter 71.05 RCW, including RCW 71.05.020 (definitions), RCW 71.05.148 (assisted outpatient treatment petitions), RCW 71.05.230 (commitment after 120-hour detention), and RCW 71.05.585 (less restrictive alternative treatment services). The bill is titled an act relating to psychiatric pharmacists and makes procedural and definitional changes to existing behavioral health statutes rather than creating new crimes or changing criminal penalties. The act also provides for a contingent effective date and a contingent expiration, though those dates are not specified in the extracted text. The bill revises procedures for filing and adjudicating assisted outpatient treatment petitions: it specifies who may file, the petition contents and evidentiary/declaration requirements, timing for hearings (generally no sooner than 3 days and no later than 7 days after service, with extensions for good cause or hospitalization), service and representation requirements, and a tribal notification requirement including provision of the petition and court orders and notice of the tribe’s right to intervene. Petitions must be adjudicated under RCW 71.05.240 and, after January 1, 2023, must be filed on forms developed by the Administrative Office of the Courts. The bill changes who may sign petitions and the personnel authorized in commitment and treatment decisions: petition signers may include a physician, physician assistant, psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner, or a board-certified psychiatric pharmacist (a new defined term). For substance use disorder petitions, a certified substance use disorder professional may substitute for a mental health professional, and an advanced practice registered nurse may substitute for a psychiatric ARNP. RCW 71.05.230 is amended to allow, following a 120-hour detention for evaluation and treatment, commitment for up to 14 additional days of involuntary intensive treatment or up to 90 additional days of a less restrictive alternative (LRA). RCW 71.05.585 is amended to set minimum LRA services (assignment of a care coordinator, intake and psychiatric/SUD evaluations, a schedule of contacts, transition planning, individualized crisis plan, consultation about mental health advance directives, and notification to the care coordinator if engagement fails) and to permit, under specified conditions, an LRA order to authorize involuntary antipsychotic medication administered by the LRA provider or designee with a concurring medical opinion from listed clinicians (including a board‑certified psychiatric pharmacist). The bill adds and clarifies definitions and facility requirements: it defines a board‑certified psychiatric pharmacist and a care coordinator (a clinical practitioner who coordinates LRA activities and maintains a continuing therapeutic relationship), and it requires secure withdrawal management and stabilization facilities to provide assessment and treatment by certified SUD professionals or co‑occurring specialists, clinical stabilization, acute or subacute detoxification, discharge assistance, security measures, and licensure or certification by the Department of Health. Some text and definitions in the provided extracts are incomplete or truncated, and the specific contingent effective and expiration dates referenced in the bill are not included in the extracted material.

If enacted, hospitals, evaluation-and-treatment facilities, courts, and behavioral health programs will have new, concrete responsibilities: secure withdrawal management sites must meet licensing, security, and service requirements (assessment, stabilization, detox, discharge planning), care coordinators must prepare and update individualized plans and coordinate with courts and designated crisis responders, and petition procedures for assisted outpatient or involuntary treatment will require specific forms, timing, tribal notice, and service steps. Practically, providers will likely need to hire or train staff, obtain certifications, revise intake and discharge workflows, and absorb administrative costs for court filings, tribal notifications, and care-coordinator duties; courts and behavioral health administrative organizations will also have to handle the required forms and timelines. The change that most directly affects clinical roles is the inclusion of board-certified psychiatric pharmacists among clinicians who can sign certain involuntary treatment petitions and provide concurring medical opinions for involuntary antipsychotic medication under less restrictive alternative orders. That may expand who facilities can rely on to complete petitions or medication approvals, potentially easing access when psychiatrists are scarce, but will require facilities to credential these pharmacists and adjust policies. Some implementation details and the bill’s effective/expiration dates are not provided in the extracted text, leaving timing and some operational specifics uncertain.