§ 43A-5-503. Voluntary and involuntary admission for treatment.

A.  A parent of a minor or a minor sixteen (16) years of age or older may consent to the voluntary admission of the minor for inpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment.

B.  Upon the application of a minor sixteen (16) years of age or older or a parent of a minor, a mental health or substance abuse facility may admit the minor for inpatient evaluation or treatment if the person in charge of the facility, or a designee, determines the minor to be clinically eligible for such admission, and:

1.  After an initial assessment, a licensed mental health professional determines and states in writing that there is reasonable cause to believe that the minor may be a minor in need of treatment and that an evaluation is necessary to properly determine the condition and treatment needs of the minor, if any; and

2.  After an outpatient or inpatient mental health evaluation, a licensed mental health professional determines and states in writing that in the opinion of the professional, the minor is a minor in need of treatment and:

a.              the minor appears to have a mental illness or drug or alcohol dependence serious enough to warrant inpatient treatment and is reasonably likely to benefit from the treatment, and

b.              based upon the following, inpatient treatment is determined to be the least restrictive alternative that meets the needs of the minor:

(1)              reasonable efforts have been made to provide for the treatment needs of the minor through the provision of less restrictive alternatives and such alternatives have failed to meet the treatment needs of the minor, or

(2)              after a thorough consideration of less restrictive alternatives to inpatient treatment, the condition of the minor is such that less restrictive alternatives are unlikely to meet the treatment needs of the minor, and

c.              the minor has been provided with a clinically appropriate explanation of the nature and purpose of the treatment.

The consenting parent shall have the opportunity to discuss the findings with a person involved in the treatment of the minor.

C.  The determinations and written statements of a licensed mental health professional made pursuant to this section shall, upon the admission of the minor for inpatient evaluation or treatment, be made a part of the medical record of the minor.

D.  Inpatient treatment of a minor admitted under this section may not continue unless continued inpatient treatment has been authorized by appropriate hospital medical personnel, based upon their written findings that the criteria set forth in subsection B of this section continue to be met, after such persons have examined the minor and interviewed the consenting parent and reviewed reports submitted by members of the facility staff familiar with the condition of the minor.  This finding is subject to the review provisions contained in Section 5-512 of this title.

E.  A mental health or substance abuse treatment facility may request that the district attorney file a petition alleging a minor to be a minor in need of treatment and require inpatient treatment when the parent consenting to the admission of a minor or when the minor age sixteen (16) years or older who had previously consented to admission revokes such consent and the person in charge of the facility, or a designee, determines that the condition of the minor is such that the minor should remain in the facility.  If the district attorney refuses to file a petition, the district attorney must immediately notify the requesting facility, in writing, of the refusal to file.

F.  A minor who is in the legal custody of the Department of Human Services or the Office of Juvenile Affairs, or who is a ward of a court may be admitted to a hospital or other facility for inpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment only pursuant to the provisions of Section 5-507 of this title.

1.  A public or private child care agency having legal custody of a minor may request the district attorney to file a petition alleging the minor to be a minor in need of treatment and to require inpatient treatment.

2.  Nothing in the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act shall be interpreted to prohibit or preclude the provision of outpatient treatment or services including, but not limited to, outpatient evaluation, counseling, educational, rehabilitative or other mental health and substance abuse services to the minor, as necessary and appropriate, in the absence of a specific court order for such services.

G.  1.  An order of a court committing a minor to a facility for inpatient mental health or substance abuse evaluation or treatment shall not, by itself, relieve a parent of the obligation to provide for the support of the minor nor of liability for the cost of treatment provided to the minor.

2.  Nothing in the Inpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment of Minors Act shall be interpreted to:

a.limit the authority of the court to order a parent to make support payments or to make payments or reimbursements for medical care or treatment, including mental health care or treatment, to the person, institution, or agency having custody of the minor or providing the treatment, or

b.abrogate the right of the minor to any benefits provided through public funds for which the minor is otherwise eligible.

3.  An order committing a minor to a facility for inpatient mental health or substance abuse treatment shall not by itself serve to preclude a subsequent adjudication which finds the minor to be delinquent, in need of supervision or deprived nor shall it cause the vacation of any such order of adjudication previously entered.

H.  If the parent who consented to the admission of a minor under this section revokes such consent at any time, the minor shall be discharged within forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and holidays, unless the district attorney is requested to file a petition alleging the minor to be a minor in need of treatment and to require inpatient treatment in accordance with the provisions of this title.  If the district attorney refuses to file a petition, the district attorney must immediately notify the requesting facility, in writing, of the refusal to file.

I.  If a minor sixteen (16) years of age or older who consented to treatment subsequently revokes their consent at any time, the minor shall be discharged within forty-eight (48) hours, excluding weekends and holidays, unless the district attorney is requested to file a petition alleging the minor to be a minor in need of treatment and to require inpatient treatment in accordance with the provisions of this title or the parent of the minor subsequently consents to the treatment of the minor.  If the district attorney refuses to file a petition, the district attorney must immediately notify the requesting facility, in writing, of the refusal to file.

Added by Laws 1992, c. 298, § 3, eff. July 1, 1993.  Amended by Laws 1995, c. 254, § 4, eff. Nov. 1, 1995; Laws 1998, c. 144, § 4, emerg. eff. April 22, 1998; Laws 2002, c. 327, § 3, eff. July 1, 2002; Laws 2003, c. 130, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2003; Laws 2005, c. 110, § 3, eff. Nov. 1, 2005; Laws 2006, c. 97, § 26, eff. Nov. 1, 2006; Laws 2007, c. 130, § 15, eff. Nov. 1, 2007.