Mental health: involuntary commitment.

Existing law provides for up to 14 days of intensive treatment for a mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism for a person who has been involuntarily committed and received an evaluation that meets certain specified criteria. Under existing law, before a person may be certified for a 14-day intensive treatment program, he or she is entitled to a certification review hearing conducted by a court-appointed commissioner or referee, or a certification review hearing officer. Existing law requires the mental health facility to make reasonable attempts to notify family members or any other person designated by the patient of the time and place of the certification hearing, unless the patient requests that this information not be provided. Under existing law, upon the completion of a 14-day period of intensive treatment, a person may be certified for an additional period of not more than 30 days of intensive treatment if the professional staff of the agency or facility treating the person has found that the person remains gravely disabled as a result of a mental disorder or impairment by chronic alcoholism, and he or she remains unwilling or unable to accept treatment voluntarily. Existing law requires a person certified for an additional 30 days of treatment pursuant to these provisions to be provided a certification review hearing, as specified, unless a judicial review is requested. This bill would require the mental health facility to make reasonable attempts to notify family members or any other person designated by the patient at least 36 hours prior to the certification review hearing for the additional 30 days of treatment, except as specified. The bill would make related technical, nonsubstantive changes.