Opinion ID: 2370952
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the CSP Addresses the Limitation on Beauchene's Liberty Interest

Text: [¶ 16] The Department contends that even if Beauchene has a right to community visits, and the hospital is limiting that right, the CSP fulfills the requirements of section B(III)(H) of the RRMHS. Beauchene contends that this issue is not preserved because it was not raised by the Department at the administrative level. See New England Whitewater Ctr., Inc. v. Dep't of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, 550 A.2d 56, 58, 60 (Me.1988). [¶ 17] Although the Department did not raise this issue as a defense at the administrative level, the issue of whether Beauchene's CSP addresses the limitation on his right to community visits was placed before the administrative hearing officer by Beauchene, who repeatedly argued in his grievance that the limitation on his right to leave the hospital for community visits has never been part of my treatment plan. See Farley v. Town of Washburn, 1997 ME 218, ¶ 5, 704 A.2d 347, 349 (stating that we will consider an issue raised and preserved if there is sufficient basis in the record to alert the court and any opposing party to the existence of that issue). Moreover, we cannot ignore that the record evidence clearly indicates that Beauchene's CSP does address the limitation on his visits to the community. The CSP specifically addresses the problem of Beauchene's [r]estoration of privileges in the communitystarting with a trip to see his elderly parents, and lists the long and short-term goals for resolving the problem, as well as ways in which the hospital staff will intervene to help him reach those goals. [5] The entry is: Judgment affirmed.