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-§3 is enacted to read:
3. Department. The Department of Health and Human Services shall, within 3 days of receipt, forward to the agency all notices received pursuant to Title 34-B, section 3861, subsection 1, paragraph E.
Sec. 2. 34-B MRSA §3861, sub-§1, ¶E is enacted to read:
E. The chief administrative officer of a nonstate mental health institution shall provide notice to the department and such additional information as may be requested by the department when a person who was involuntarily admitted to the institution has died, attempted suicide or sustained a serious injury resulting in significant impairment of physical condition. For the purposes of this paragraph, "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. The notice must be provided within 24 hours of occurrence and must include the name of the person; the name, address and telephone number of that person's legal guardian, conservator or legal representative and parents if that person is a minor; a detailed description of the occurrence and any injuries or impairments sustained; the date and time of the occurrence; the name, street address and telephone number of the facility; and the name and job title of the person providing the notice.
Effective September 20, 2007