(a) Any person 14 years of age or over may apply for voluntary admission to a designated hospital for examination and treatment.

(b) Before the person may be admitted as a voluntary patient he or she shall give his or her consent in writing on a form adopted by the Department. The consent shall include a representation that the person understands that his or her treatment will involve inpatient status, that he or she desires to be admitted to the hospital, and that he or she consents to admission voluntarily, without any coercion or duress.

(c) If the person is under 14 years of age, he or she may be admitted as a voluntary patient if he or she consents to admission, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, and if a parent or guardian makes written application. (Added 1967, No. 305 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. Oct. 1, 1968; amended 1977, No. 252 (Adj. Sess.), § 6.)