§ 63-1-208.1. Regional guidance centers and services.

(a) The State Board of Health may establish regional guidance centers for regions designated by the Board, such regions to be selected by the Board on the basis of area, geographical location, population, and other factors deemed essential to indicate a need for guidance services.  The center for a region shall be in a county having a county department of health or participating in a cooperative, district, or city-county department of health, and shall be under the administrative direction of the medical director of the county, cooperative, district, or city-county department of health, and under the supervision of the State Commissioner of Health.  The county board of health or the city-county board of health of a county served by a regional guidance center and the State Commissioner of Health may enter into agreements for payment of operating expenses of the center, and the county board of health, or city-county board of health, may include an amount for its part of the costs in its budget or annual estimate of needs.

(b) The State Board of Health shall adopt rules, regulations, and standards for the operation of regional guidance centers, and to carry out the purposes of this section; and may formulate a schedule of fees to be charged for guidance services furnished to persons who are financially able to pay for the services.  The State Board of Health may enter into agreements with individuals and with public or private agencies for services to be furnished to a guidance center and may also enter into agreements to furnish guidance services to public or private agencies.  All fees collected shall be remitted to the State Commissioner of Health, who shall deposit the same in a special account in the State Treasury.  Such fees shall be accounted for by region of source and shall be used by the State Commissioner of Health to provide guidance services in the regions from which the fees are derived.  County funds payable under agreements entered into under provisions of the preceding paragraph shall be accounted for, obligated, expended and disbursed as directed by the State Commissioner of Health.  Provided, however, that by agreement between a county or city-county board of health and the Commissioner of Health, such county funds may be remitted to the State Commissioner of health who shall deposit such funds in the same special account in the State Treasury created for fees collected and shall be disbursed as is provided for fees.

(c) Guidance services furnished in a region under the provisions of this section shall, subject to existing laws, include evaluation, counseling, and referral for treatment, when indicated, of individuals with emotional or behavioral problems, and other persons in need of guidance services; consultant services to law enforcement agencies, schools, courts, other state or local agencies, and other persons or agencies concerned with persons or families with mental health and/or child development problems; and other guidance services that are now or may be in the future authorized to be performed by the State Department of Health or local departments of health.

Laws 1963, c. 370, § 10; Laws 1967, c. 260, § 4, emerg. eff. May 8, 1967.