AUTHORITY: §§ 211.1 to 211.14 issued under sections 1-11, 74 Stat. 308-310; 24 U.S.C. 321329.

SOURCE: $211.1 to 211.14 appear at 26 F.R. 7128, Aug. 9, 1961.

§ 211.1 General definitions.

When used in this part:

(a) "Act" means Public Law 86-571, approved July 5, 1960, 74 Stat. 308, entitled "An act to provide for the hospitalization, at St. Elizabeths Hospital in the District of Columbia or elsewhere, of certain nationals of the United States adjudged insane or otherwise found mentally ill in foreign countries, and for other purposes";

(b) The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare;

(c) The term "Department" means the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare;

(d) The term "Director" means the Director of the Bureau of Public Assistance of the Social Security Administration, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare;

(e) The term "eligible person" means an individual with respect to whom the certificates referred to in § 211.3 are furnished to the Director in connection with the reception of an individual arriving from a foreign country;

(f) The term "Public Health Service" means the Public Health Service in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare;

(g) The term "agency" means an appropriate State or local public or nonprofit agency with which the Bureau has entered into arrangements for the provision of care, treatment, and assistance pursuant to the Act;

(h) The term "State" means a State or Territory of the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia;

(i) The term "residence" means residence as determined under the applicable law or regulations of a State or political subdivision for the purpose of determining the eligibility of an individual for hospitalization in a public mental hospital.

(j) The term "legal guardian" means a guardian, appointed by a court, whose powers, duties, and responsibilities include the powers, duties, and responsibilities of guardianship of the person. § 211.2 General.

The Director shall make suitable arrangements with agencies to the end that any eligible person will be received, upon request of the Secretary of State, at the port of entry or debarkation upon arrival in the United States from a foreign country and be provided, to the extent necessary, with temporary care, treatment, and assistance, pending transfer and release or hospitalization pursuant to the Act. The Director shall also make suitable arrangements with appropriate divisions of the Public Health Service, Bureau of Medical Services, with Saint Elizabeths Hospital in the District of Columbia, with Federal hospitals outside of the Department, or with other public or private hospitals to provide the eligible person with care and treatment in a hospital. The Director shall maintain a roster setting forth the name and address of each eligible person currently receiving care and treatment, or assistance, pursuant to the Act. § 211.3

Certificates.

The following certificates are necessary to establish that an individual is an eligible person:

(a) Certificates as to nationality. A certificate issued by an authorized official of the Department of State, stating that the individual is a national of the United States.

(b) Certificate as to mental condition. Either (1) a certificate obtained or transmitted by an authorized official of the Department of State that the individual has been legally adjudged insane in a named foreign country; or (2) a certificate of an appropriate authority or person stating that at the time of such certification the individual was in a named foreign country and was in need of care and treatment in a mental hospital. A statement shall, if possible, be incorporated into or attached to the certificate furnished under this paragraph setting forth all available medical and other pertinent information concerning the individual.

(c) Appropriate authority or person. For the purpose of paragraph (b) (2) of this section a medical officer of the Public Health Service or of another agency of the United States, or a medical practitioner legally authorized to provide care or treatment of mentally ill persons in the foreign country, is an "appropriate authority or person", and shall be so identified in his execution of the certificate. If such a medical officer or practitioner is unavailable, an authorized official of the Department of State may serve as an "appropriate authority or person," and shall, in the execution of the certificate, identify himself as serving as such person due to the unavailability of a suitable medical officer or practitioner.

§ 211.4 Notification to legal guardian, spouse, next of kin, or interested persons.

(a) Whenever an eligible person arrives in the United States from a foreign country, or when such person is transferred from one State to another, the Director shall, upon such arrival or transfer (or in advance thereof, if possible), provide for notification of his legal guardian, or in the absence of such a guardian, of his spouse or next of kin, or in the absence of any of these, of one or more interested persons, if known.

(b) Whenever an eligible person is admitted to a hospital pursuant to the Act, the Director shall provide for immediate notification of his legal guardian, spouse, or next of kin, if known. § 211.5 Action under State law; appointment of guardian.

Whenever an eligible person is incapable of giving his consent to care and

son.

(b) Temporary care, treatment, and assistance. The agency will provide for temporary care, treatment, and assistance, as reasonably required for the health and welfare of the eligible perSuch care, treatment, and assistance may be provided in the form of hospitalization and other medical and remedial care (including services of necessary attendants), food and lodging, money payments, transportation, other goods and services. The agency will utilize the Public Health Service General Hospital nearest to the port of entry or debarkation or any other suitable public or private hospital, in providing hospitalization and medical care, including diagnostic service as needed, pending other appropriate arrangements for serving the eligible person.

or

§ 211.7 Transfer and release of eligible

person.

(a) Transfer and release to relative. If at the time of arrival from a foreign country or any time during temporary or continuing care and treatment the Director finds that the best interests of the eligible person will be served thereby, and a relative, having been fully informed of his condition, agrees in writing to assume responsibility for his care and treatment, the Director shall transfer and release him to such relative. In determining whether his best interests will be served by such transfer and release, due weight shall be given to the relationship of the individuals involved, the financial ability of the relative to provide for such person, and the accessibility to necessary medical facilities.

(b) Transfer and release to appropriate State authorities, or agency of the United States. If appropriate arrangements cannot be accomplished under paragraph (a) of this section, and if no other agency of the United States is responsible for the care and treatment of the eligible person, the Director shall endeavor to arrange with the appropriate State mental health authorities of the eligible person's State of residence or legal domicile, if any, for the assumption of responsibility for the care and treatment of the eligible person by such authorities and shall, upon the making of such arrangements in writing, transfer and release him to such authorities. If any other agency of the United States is responsible for the care and treatment of the eligible person, the Director shall make arrangements for his transfer and release to that agency. § 211.8

Continuing hospitalization.

(a) Authorization and arrangements. In the event that appropriate arrangements for an eligible person in need of continuing care and treatment in a hospital cannot be accomplished under § 211.7, or until such arrangements can be made, care and treatment shall be provided by the Director in Saint Elizabeths Hospital in the District of Columbia, in an appropriate Public Health Service Hospital, or in such other suitable public or private hospital as the Director determines is in the best interests of such person.

(b) Transfer to other hospital. At any time during continuing hospitalization, when the Director deems it to be in the interest of the eligible person or of the hospital affected, the Director shall authorize the transfer of such person from one hospital to another and, where necessary to that end, the Director shall authorize the initiation of judicial proceedings for the purpose of obtaining a commitment of such person to the Secretary.

(c) Place of hospitalization. In determining the placement or transfer of an eligible person for purposes of hospitalization, due. weight shall be given to such factors as the location of the eligible person's legal guardian or family, the character of his illness and the probable duration thereof, and the facilities of the hospital to provide care and treatment for the particular health needs of such person.

tion. Following admission of an eligible person to a hospital for temporary or continuing care and treatment, he shall be examined by qualified members of the medical staff as soon as practicable, but not later than the fifth day after his admission. Each such person shall be reexamined at least once within each six month period beginning with the month following the month in which he was first examined.

§ 211.10 Termination of hospitalization.

(a) Discharge or conditional release. If, following any examination, the head of the hospital finds that the eligible person hospitalized for mental illness (whether or not pursuant to a judicial commitment) is not in need of such hospitalization, he shall be discharged. In the case where hospitalization was pursuant to a judicial commitment, the head of the hospital may, in accordance with laws governing hospitalization for mental illness as may be in force and generally applicable in the State in which the hospital is located, conditionally release him if he finds that this is in his best interests.

(b) Notification to committing court. In the case of any person hospitalized under $211.8 who has been judicially committed to the custody of the Secretary, the Secretary will notify the committing court in writing of the discharge or conditional release of such person under this section or of his transfer and release under § 211.7.

§ 211.11

Request for release from hospitalization.

If an eligible person who is hospitalized pursuant to the Act, or his legal guardian, spouse, or adult next of kin, requests his release such request shall be granted by the Director if his best interests will be served thereby, or by the head of the hospital if he is found not to be in need of hospitalization by reason of mental illness. The right of the Director, or the head of the hospital, to refuse such request and to detain him for care and treatment shall be determined in accordance with laws governing the detention, for care and treatment, of persons alleged to be mentally ill as may be in force and applicable generally in