NH court speeds up emergency guardianship process due to virus

New Hampshire’s circuit court is speeding up the legal process on emergency guardianship appointments regarding medical decisions for an incapacitated adult, given the anticipated surge of coronavirus cases.

Administrative Judge David King says there may be situations where acute care facilities need to quickly discharge a patient, who may lack capacity, to another facility or to get emergency medical decisions made for severely compromised patients. King said the usual, approximately 15-day interval from a petition filing to an expedited final hearing on guardianship appointments may not be appropriate.

For now, hearings by phone or video can be held over a 48-hour period.

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