2 Psychiatrist commitment Procedure

There is a provision in NYS Law that allows an individual to be brought in for evaluation (hospitalized) for up to 72 hours if someone applies for it and the application is accompanied by an affadavit from two psychiatrists stating it may be needed.  Following is the NY Law.

§ 9.27 Involuntary admission on medical certification.

  (a)  The  director  of  a  hospital  may  receive and retain therein as a patient any person alleged to be mentally ill and in  need  of  involuntary care  and  treatment  upon  the  certificates  of two examining physicians, accompanied by an  application  for  the  admission  of  such  person.  The examination  may  be  conducted  jointly but each examining physician shall execute a separate certificate.

  (b)  Such  application  must  have been executed within ten days prior to such admission. It may be executed by any one of the following:

•   1. any person with whom the person alleged to be mentally ill resides.
•   2. the father or mother, husband or wife, brother or sister, or the child of any such person or the nearest available relative.
•   3. the committee of such person.
•   4.  an officer of any public or well recognized charitable institution or agency or home in whose institution the person alleged to be  mentally  ill resides.
•   5.  the  director  of  community services or social services official, as defined in the social services law, of the city or county in which any such person may be.
•   6.  the  director of the hospital or of a general hospital, as defined in article twenty-eight of the public health law,  in  which  the  patient  is hospitalized.
•   7.  the  director  or  person  in  charge of a facility providing care to alcoholics, or substance abusers or substance dependent persons.
•   8.  the director of the division for youth, acting in accordance with the provisions of section five hundred nine of the executive law.
•   9.  subject  to  the  terms of any court order or any instrument executed pursuant to section three hundred eighty-four-a of the social services law, a  social services official or authorized agency which has, pursuant to the social services law, care and custody or  guardianship  and  custody  of  a child over the age of sixteen.
•   10.  subject  to  the  terms of any court order a person or entity having custody of a child pursuant to an order issued pursuant  to  section  seven hundred fifty-six or one thousand fifty-five of the family court act.
•   11.  a  qualified psychiatrist who is either supervising the treatment of or treating such person for a mental illness  in  a  facility  licensed  or operated by the office of mental health.

   (c)  Such  application shall contain a statement of the facts upon which the allegation of mental illness and need for care and treatment are  based and  shall  be  executed under penalty of perjury but shall not require the signature of a notary public thereon.

  (d)   Before   an   examining  physician  completes  the  certificate  of examination of a person  for  involuntary  care  and  treatment,  he  shall consider  alternative forms of care and treatment that might be adequate to provide   for   the   person’s   needs   without   requiring    involuntary hospitalization.  If  the  examining  physician knows that the person he is examining  for  involuntary  care  and  treatment  has  been  under   prior treatment,  he  shall,  insofar  as possible, consult with the physician or psychologist furnishing  such  prior  treatment  prior  to  completing  his certificate.  Nothing  in  this  section  shall  prohibit or invalidate any involuntary admission made  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this chapter.

  (e) The director of the hospital where such person is brought shall cause such person to be examined forthwith by a physician who shall be  a  member of the psychiatric staff of such hospital other than the original examining physicians whose certificate or certificates  accompanied  the  application and,  if  such  person  is  found  to  be  in  need of involuntary care and treatment, he may be admitted thereto as a patient as herein provided.

  (f)  Following admission to a hospital, no patient may be sent to another hospital by any form of involuntary admission  unless  the  mental  hygiene legal service has been given notice thereof.

  (g)  Applications  for  involuntary  admission of patients to residential treatment facilities for children and youth or  transfer  of  involuntarily admitted patients to such facilities shall be reviewed by the pre-admission certification committee serving such facility in  accordance  with  section 9.51 of this article.

  (h)  If  a person is examined and determined to be mentally ill, the fact that such person suffers from alcohol or substance abuse shall not preclude commitment under this section.

  (i) After an application for the admission of a person has been completed and both physicians have examined such person and separately certified that he  or she is mentally ill and in need of involuntary care and treatment in a hospital, either physician is authorized to request peace officers,  when acting  pursuant  to  their  special  duties,  or  police officers, who are members of an authorized police department  or  force  or  of  a  sheriff’s department,  to  take  into custody and transport such person to a hospital for determination  by  the  director  whether  such  person  qualifies  for admission pursuant to this section. Upon the request of either physician an ambulance service, as defined by subdivision two of section three  thousand one  of  the public health law, is authorized to transport such person to a hospital for determination by the director whether  such  person  qualifies for admission pursuant to this section.

.§ 9.33 Court authorization to retain an involuntary patient.

 (a)   If  the director shall determine that a patient admitted upon an application supported by medical certification, for  whom  there  is  no court  order authorizing retention for a specified period, is in need of retention and if such patient does not agree to remain in such  hospital as a voluntary patient, the director shall apply to the supreme court or the county court in the county where the  hospital  is  located  for  an order  authorizing  continued retention.  Such application shall be made no later than sixty days from  the  date  of  involuntary  admission  on application  supported  by medical certification or thirty days from the date of an order denying an application for patient’s  release  pursuant to  section  9.31, whichever is later; and the hospital is authorized to retain the patient for such further period during which the hospital  is authorized  to make such application or during which the application may be pending.  The director shall cause written notice of such application to  be given the patient and a copy thereof shall be given personally or by mail to the persons required by this article to be served with notice of  such  patient’s  initial  admission  and to the mental hygiene legal service.  Such notice shall state that a hearing may  be  requested  and that  failure  to make such a request within five days, excluding Sunday and holidays, from the date that the notice was  given  to  the  patient will  permit  the  entry  without  a  hearing  of  an  order authorizing retention.

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 (b)   If  no  request  is  made for a hearing on behalf of the patient within five days, excluding Sunday and  holidays,  from  the  date  such notice  of  such  application  was given such patient, and if the mental hygiene legal service has not requested a hearing, the  court  receiving the  application  may,  if satisfied that the patient requires continued retention for care and treatment or transfer  and  continued  retention, immediately  issue  an  order  authorizing  continued  retention of such patient in such hospital for a period not to exceed six months from  the date  of  the  order  or,  if  such patient is in a psychiatric hospital operated by a political  subdivision  of  the  state  or  in  a  general hospital,  such  order  may  direct  the transfer of such patient to the jurisdiction of the department for retention in a hospital  operated  by the  state  or  to  a  private  facility having an appropriate operating certificate, to be retained therein for  a  period  not  to  exceed  six months from the date of such order.

  (c)  Upon the demand of the patient or of anyone on his behalf or upon request of the mental hygiene legal service, the court shall, or may  on its  own  motion, fix a date for the hearing of the application, in like manner as is provided for hearings in section 9.31.  The  provisions  of such  section  shall  apply to the procedure for obtaining and holding a hearing and to the granting or refusal to grant an order of retention by the  court,  except  that  if  the patient has already had a hearing, he shall not have the right to designate initially the county in which  the hearing shall be held.

  (d)   If  the  director  of a hospital, in which a patient is retained pursuant to the foregoing subdivisions of this section, shall  determine that  the  condition of such patient requires his further retention in a hospital, he shall, if such patient does not agree  to  remain  in  such hospital  as  a  voluntary patient, apply during the period of retention authorized by the last order of the court to the supreme  court  or  the county  court  in  the county where the hospital is located for an order authorizing further continued retention of such patient.  The procedures for  obtaining  any  order  pursuant  to  this  subdivision  shall be in accordance with the provisions of the  foregoing  subdivisions  of  this section; provided that the patient or anyone on his behalf or the mental hygiene legal service may request that the patient be brought personally before  the  court, in which case the court shall not grant an order for periods of one year or longer unless such patient  shall  have  appeared personally  before  the  court.   The  period  for  continued  retention pursuant to the  first  order  obtained  under  this  subdivision  shall authorize  further  continued retention of the patient for not more than one year from the date  of  the  order.   The  period  for  the  further continued  retention  of  the patient authorized by any subsequent order under this subdivision shall be for periods not to exceed two years each from the date of the order.

§  9.31  Involuntary admission on medical certification; patient’s right to a hearing.

  (a)   If, at any time prior to the expiration of sixty days from the date of involuntary admission of  a  patient  on  an  application  supported  by medical  certification,  he or any relative or friend or the mental hygiene legal service gives notice in  writing  to  the  director  of  request  for hearing  on  the  question  of  need  for involuntary care and treatment, a hearing shall be held as herein provided.  The patient or person requesting a  hearing  on  behalf  of  the  patient may designate the county where the hearing shall be held, which shall  be  either  in  the  county  where  the hospital  is  located, the county of the patient’s residence, or the county in which the hospital to which the patient was first admitted  is  located.  Such  hearing  shall  be  held  in  the  county  so  designated, subject to application by any interested party, including the director, for change  of venue  to  any  other  county  because  of  the  convenience  of parties or witnesses or the condition of  the  patient  upon  notice  to  the  persons required to be served with notice of the patient’s initial admission.  (b)   It  shall be the duty of the director upon receiving notice of such request for hearing to forward forthwith a  copy  of  such  notice  with  a record  of  the  patient  to  the  supreme court or the county court in the county designated by  the  applicant,  if  one  be  designated,  or  if  no designation  be  made, then to the supreme court or the county court in the county where such hospital is located.  A copy of such  notice  and  record shall also be given the mental hygiene legal service.  (c)   The  court  which  receives  such notice shall fix the date of such hearing at a time not later than five days from the  date  such  notice  is received  by  the  court and cause the patient, any other person requesting the hearing, the director, the mental hygiene legal service, and such other persons  as  the court may determine to be advised of such date.  Upon such date, or upon such other date to which the proceeding may be adjourned, the court  shall  hear  testimony and examine the person alleged to be mentally ill, if it be deemed advisable in or out of court.   If  it  be  determined that  the  patient  is  in  need  of  retention,  the  court shall deny the application for the patient’s release.  If the patient is in a  psychiatric hospital maintained by a political subdivision of the state or in a general hospital the court, upon notice to the patient and the mental hygiene legal service  and  an opportunity to be heard, may order the patient transferred to the jurisdiction of the department for retention in a hospital  operated by the state designated by the commissioner or to a private facility having an appropriate operating certificate for retention therein for the  balance of  the  period for which the hospital is authorized to retain the patient.  If it appears, however, that the relatives of the patient or a committee of his  person  are  willing  and  able properly to care for him at some place other than a hospital, then, upon their  written  consent,  the  court  may order the transfer of the patient to the care and custody of such relatives or such committee.  If it be determined that the patient  is  not  mentally ill  or  not in need of retention, the court shall order the release of the patient.

  (d)   If  the  court shall order the release of the patient, such patient shall forthwith be released.

  (e)   The department or the director of the hospital authorized to retain or receive  and  retain  such  patient,  as  the  case  may  be,  shall  be immediately  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the order of the court and, if a transfer is ordered, shall immediately make provisions for the transfer  of such patient.

  (f)  The papers in any proceeding under this article which are filed with the county clerk shall be sealed and shall be exhibited only to the parties to  the proceeding or someone properly interested, upon order of the court.(Posted 2/1999)

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