59-2949. Voluntary admission to treatment facility; application; written information to be given voluntary patient.
(a) A mentally ill person may be admitted to a treatment facility as a voluntary patient when there are available accommodations and the head of the treatment facility determines such person is in need of treatment therein, and that the person has the capacity to consent to treatment, except that no such person shall be admitted to a state psychiatric hospital without a written statement from a qualified mental health professional authorizing such admission.
(b) Admission shall be made upon written application:
(1) If such person is 18 years of age or older the person may make such application for themself; or
(2) (A) If such person is less than 18 years of age, a parent may make such application for their child; or
(B) if such person is less than 18 years of age, but 14 years of age or older the person may make such written application on their own behalf without the consent or written application of their parent, legal guardian or any other person. Whenever a person who is 14 years of age or older makes written application on their own behalf and is admitted as a voluntary patient, the head of the treatment facility shall promptly notify the child's parent, legal guardian or other person known to the head of the treatment facility to be interested in the care and welfare of the minor of the admittance of that child; or
(3) if such person has a legal guardian, the legal guardian may make such application provided that if the legal guardian is required to obtain authority to do so pursuant to K.S.A. 59-3077, and amendments thereto. If the legal guardian is seeking admission of their ward upon an order giving the guardian continuing authority to admit the ward to a treatment facility, as defined in K.S.A. 59-3077, and amendments thereto, the head of the treatment facility may require a statement from the patient's attending physician or from the local health officer of the area in which the patient resides confirming that the patient is in need of psychiatric treatment in a treatment facility before accepting the ward for admission, and shall divert any such person to a less restrictive treatment alternative, as may be appropriate.
(c) No person shall be admitted as a voluntary patient under the provisions of this act to any treatment facility unless the head of the treatment facility has informed such person or such person's parent, legal guardian, or other person known to the head of the treatment facility to be interested in the care and welfare of a minor, in writing, of the following:
(1) The rules and procedures of the treatment facility relating to the discharge of voluntary patients;
(2) the legal rights of a voluntary patient receiving treatment from a treatment facility as provided for in K.S.A. 59-2978 and amendments thereto; and
(3) in general terms, the types of treatment which are available or would not be available to a voluntary patient from that treatment facility.
(d) Nothing in this act shall be construed as to prohibit a proposed or involuntary patient with capacity to do so from making an application for admission as a voluntary patient to a treatment facility. Any proposed or involuntary patient desiring to do so shall be afforded an opportunity to consult with their attorney prior to making any such application. If the head of the treatment facility accepts the application and admits the patient as a voluntary patient, then the head of the treatment facility shall notify, in writing, the patient's attorney, the patient's legal guardian, if the patient has a legal guardian, and the district court which has jurisdiction over the patient of the patient's voluntary status. When a notice of voluntary admission is received, the court shall file the same which shall terminate the proceedings.
History: L. 1996, ch. 167, § 5; L. 2002, ch. 114, § 64; July 1.