The Florida Senate

394.56  Voluntary admission to a center; procedure.--

(1)  Application for admission to a residential or day treatment program shall be made to the center on forms provided by the department. Applications should be signed by the parent or legal guardian of the applicant or, in absence of such, the person or agency having legal custody of the applicant. A child 12 years or older has the same right to volunteer for treatment without parental consent as specified in ¹s. 394.465(1)(b). An application for admission to a residential or day treatment program shall be accompanied by a certificate signed by a physician licensed or authorized to practice in Florida under chapter 458 and by any comprehensive community mental health center director or mental health clinic director, designated receiving facility, licensed clinical psychologist, or social or child care agency director. The certificate shall be based on an examination conducted not more than 15 days prior to the date of application. The application shall contain the history of and the results of any examinations of the applicant and a diagnosis of the applicant's condition, and it shall state that admission to the center, including related evaluation, treatment, and educational programs, would, in the physician's opinion, be beneficial to the child.

(2)  Upon receipt of the application, the director of a center shall, on the basis of the certificate and any other evaluation methods he or she determines, accept or reject the applicant as a patient in the center. The director of the center shall determine the order of admission of applicants. The ability to pay shall never be a prerequisite to admission, evaluation, treatment, and education in a center.

History.--s. 7, ch. 59-383; ss. 19, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 4, ch. 70-432; s. 1, ch. 70-439; s. 25, ch. 73-334; s. 213, ch. 77-147; s. 3, ch. 78-434; s. 719, ch. 95-148.

¹Note.--Repealed by s. 17, ch. 96-169.