California Welfare and Institutions Code § 4144

Welfare and Institutions Code
Open in Lexace · Ask the AI about this section
(a) A state hospital psychiatrist or psychologist may refer a patient to a pilot enhanced treatment program (ETP), as defined in Section 1265.9 of the Health and Safety Code, for temporary placement and risk assessment upon determining that the patient may be at high risk of most dangerous behavior and when safe treatment is not possible in a standard treatment environment. The referral may occur after admission to the State Department of State Hospitals, and after sufficient and documented evaluation of violence risk of the patient, with notice to the patients’ rights advocate at the time of the referral. A patient shall not be placed into an ETP as a means of punishment, coercion, convenience, or retaliation. (b) Within three business days of placement in an ETP, a dedicated forensic evaluator, who is not on the patient’s treatment team, shall complete an initial evaluation of the patient that shall include an interview of the patient’s treatment team, an analysis of diagnosis, past violence, current level of risk, and the need for enhanced treatment. (c) (1) Within seven business days of placement in an ETP and with 72-hour notice to the patient and patients’ rights advocate, the forensic needs assessment panel (FNAP) shall conduct a placement evaluation meeting with the referring psychiatrist or psychologist, the patient and patients’ rights advocate, and the dedicated forensic evaluator who performed the initial evaluation. A determination shall be made as to whether the patient clinically requires ETP treatment. (2) (A) The threshold standard for treatment in an ETP is met if a psychiatrist or psychologist, utilizing standard forensic methodologies for clinically assessing violence risk, determines that a patient meets the definition of a patient at high risk of most dangerous behavior and ETP treatment meets the identified needs of the patient and safe treatment is not possible in a standard treatment environment. (B) Factors used to determine a patient’s high risk of most dangerous behavior may include, but are not limited to, an analysis of past violence, delineation of static and dynamic violence risk factors, and utilization of valid and reliable violence risk assessment testing. (3) If a patient has shown improvement during his or her placement in an ETP, the FNAP may delay its certification decision for another seven business days. The FNAP’s determination of whether the patient will benefit from continued or longer term ETP placement and treatment shall be based on the threshold standard for treatment in an ETP specified in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2). (d) (1) The FNAP shall review all material presented at the FNAP placement evaluation meeting conducted under subdivision (c), and the FNAP shall either certify the patient for 90 days of treatment in an ETP or direct that the patient be returned to a standard treatment environment in the hospital. (2) After the FNAP makes a decision to provide ETP treatment and if ETP treatment will be provided at a facility other than the current hospital, the transfer may take place as soon as transportation may reasonably be arranged, but no later than 30 days after the decision is made. (3) The FNAP determination shall be in writing and provided to the patient and patients’ rights advocate as soon as possible, but no later than three business days after the decision is made. (e) (1) Upon admission to an ETP, a forensic needs assessment team (FNAT) psychologist who is not on the patient’s multidisciplinary treatment team shall perform an in-depth violence risk assessment and make an individual treatment plan for the patient based on the assessment. The individual treatment plan shall: (A) Be in writing and developed in collaboration with the patient, when possible. The initial treatment plan shall be developed as soon as possible, but no later than 72 hours following the patient’s admission. The comprehensive treatment plan shall be developed following

‹ Prev All California sections Next ›


Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.