An Act Regarding Notice That Must Be Provided by a Psychiatric Facility Concerning Certain Patients
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §19509, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 357, §16, is amended to read:
2. State mental health institutes; state-operated psychiatric treatment facilities; private psychiatric hospitals, units and treatment facilities. A state mental health institute or state-operated psychiatric treatment facility shall notify the agency and provide access to information relating to a person with a disability if that person, while in the hospital, has died, attempted suicide or sustained a serious injury resulting in significant impairment of physical condition. A private psychiatric hospital, psychiatric unit or psychiatric treatment facility shall notify the agency and provide access to information relating to a person with a disability if that person was initially admitted to the hospital, unit or facility involuntarily and if that person, while in the hospital, has died, attempted suicide or sustained a serious injury resulting in significant impairment of physical condition. For the purposes of this subsection, significant impairment includes serious injuries resulting from burns, lacerations, bone fractures, substantial hematoma and injuries to internal organs whether self-inflicted or inflicted by another person.
summary
This bill amends provisions of the law regarding the protection and advocacy agency for persons with disabilities. It requires that a private psychiatric hospital, psychiatric unit or psychiatric treatment facility notify the agency and provide access to information whenever an involuntarily admitted patient has died, attempted suicide or sustained a serious injury. This is the same notice and access as are currently required of state mental health institutes.