H.F. 619 Section 1. Section 229.3, Code 2019, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 229.3 Discharge of voluntary patients. 3 1. Any voluntary patient who has recovered, or whose 4 hospitalization the chief medical officer of the hospital 5 determines is no longer advisable, shall be discharged. Any 6 voluntary patient may be discharged if to do so would in the 7 judgment of the chief medical officer contribute to the most 8 effective use of the hospital in the care and treatment of that 9 patient and of other persons with mental illness. 10 2. If the chief medical officer of the hospital is informed 11 that an arrest warrant has been issued for or charges are 12 pending against a voluntary patient of the hospital, the chief 13 medical officer may notify the appropriate law enforcement 14 agency about the discharge of the patient prior to the 15 patient’s discharge. 16 EXPLANATION 17 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 18 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 19 This bill relates to notification of law enforcement about 20 the discharge of a voluntary patient who is mentally ill 21 or has symptoms of mental illness. Under current law, any 22 voluntarily admitted patient for mental health treatment who 23 has recovered, or whose hospitalization the chief medical 24 officer of the hospital determines is no longer advisable, 25 shall be discharged. The bill provides that if the chief 26 medical officer of the hospital is informed that an arrest 27 warrant has been issued for or charges are pending against a 28 voluntary patient of the hospital, the chief medical officer 29 may notify the appropriate law enforcement agency about the 30 discharge of the patient prior to the patient’s discharge. 31 -1- LSB 2690YH (2) 88 hb/rh 1/ 1