(a) When a voluntary patient would otherwise be subject to the provisions of Section 5150 of this part and disclosure is necessary for the protection of the patient or others due to the patient’s disappearance from, without prior notice to, a designated facility and his or her whereabouts is unknown, notice of the disappearance may be made to relatives and governmental law enforcement agencies designated by the physician in charge of the patient or the professional person in charge of the facility or his or her designee.
(b) (1) When an involuntary patient is gravely disabled, as defined in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (h) of Section 5008, and the patient has disappeared from a designated facility, or is transferred between state hospitals, notice of the disappearance or transfer shall be made to the court initially ordering the patient’s commitment pursuant to Section 1370 of the Penal Code, the district attorney for the county that ordered the commitment, and governmental law enforcement agencies designated by the physician in charge of the patient or the professional person in charge of the facility or his or her designee. This notice shall be made within 24 hours of the patient’s disappearance or transfer from the facility.
(2) A designated facility shall not permit the release of an involuntary patient who is gravely disabled, as defined in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (h) of Section 5008, without prior written authorization of the court pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 5358. The court may approve the pending release without a hearing unless a party notified pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 5358 objects to the pending release within 10 days after receiving notice. This paragraph does not apply to the transfer of persons between state hospitals.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 593, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1996.)