House File 130

                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  CONNORS


    Passed House,  Date               Passed Senate, Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to the voluntary admission and release of persons
  2    suffering from dementia or a dementia=related illness to
  3    inpatient psychiatric treatment.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 2163HH 80
  6 rh/pj/5

PAG LIN

  1  1    Section 1.  Section 229.2, subsection 1, unnumbered
  1  2 paragraph 1, Code 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    An application for admission to a public or private
  1  4 hospital for observation, diagnosis, care, and treatment as a
  1  5 voluntary patient may be made by any person who is mentally
  1  6 ill or has symptoms of mental illness.  If a person is
  1  7 suffering from severe clinically diagnosed dementia or a
  1  8 severe dementia=related illness or exhibits symptoms of severe
  1  9 dementia or a severe dementia=related illness, an application
  1 10 for inpatient psychiatric admission for observation,
  1 11 diagnosis, care, and treatment may be made by the person's
  1 12 next of kin.
  1 13    Sec. 2.  Section 299.4, Code 2003, is amended by adding the
  1 14 following new subsection:
  1 15    NEW SUBSECTION.  1A.  If the patient was admitted on
  1 16 application by the patient's next of kin for inpatient
  1 17 psychiatric observation, diagnosis, care, and treatment
  1 18 because of severe dementia or a severe dementia=related
  1 19 illness, and the request for release is made by the patient,
  1 20 release may be conditioned upon the agreement of the next of
  1 21 kin.
  1 22                           EXPLANATION
  1 23    This bill provides that persons who are suffering from
  1 24 severe dementia or a dementia=related illness or exhibit
  1 25 symptoms of severe dementia may be voluntarily admitted to
  1 26 inpatient psychiatric care and treatment by the patient's next
  1 27 of kin.  The release of the person who is suffering from
  1 28 severe dementia or a severe dementia=related illness and who
  1 29 has been voluntarily admitted for inpatient psychiatric care
  1 30 and treatment by the person's next of kin may be conditioned
  1 31 upon the agreement of the next of kin.
  1 32 LSB 2163HH 80
  1 33 rh/pj/5
  1 34
  1 35