Georgia Administrative Code

A CSU under contract to operate a CSC and/or Temp Obs is expected to comply with the following in the administration of those functions: 1. Program Description. A CSU under contract to operate a CSC and/or Temp Obs shall have a description of services which shall clearly states t…

These regulations have been promulgated to ensure that basic statutory licensing requirements to operate Child and Adolescent Crisis Stabilization Units (C & A CSUs) are met and to ensure that organizations providing this service promote the empowerment and resiliency of the indi…

1. The purpose of these rules is to establish general licensing procedures, operational requirements and enforcement procedures required by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) for the C & A CSU. The issuance of a C & A CSU operating license …

The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: 1. Abuse means any unjustifiable intentional or grossly negligent act, exploitation or series of acts, or omission of acts which causes phy…

1. A license is required to operate a C & A CSU. a. No person, corporation or other entity shall offer or provide crisis stabilization services as defined in these rules unless designated as an emergency receiving and evaluating facility and licensed by the Department as a C & A …

1. An application for a license to provide C & A CSU services shall be submitted on forms made available by the Department in a format acceptable to the Department. No application shall be acted upon by the Department until the application is determined complete by the Department…

1. When the Department determines that the applicant is in compliance with all applicable rules and regulations, the Department shall issue an initial license to the applicant: a. The initial license for a new facility is valid for the first year of operation. The term of the ini…

Each C & A CSU shall have a detailed description of the scope of services under which the C & A CSU operates that includes, but is not limited to: 1. The C & A CSU shall describe its capacity to serve both voluntary and involuntary individuals; 2. The C & A CSU shall clearly stat…

The C & A CSU's description of services shall clearly state the following: 1. The C & A CSU is designed to serve as a first-line community based alternative to hospitalization, offering psychiatric stabilization and detoxification services on a short- term basis; 2. The target po…

1. The C & A CSU must have written protocols for screening individuals presenting for evaluation on a voluntary basis or under O.C.G.A. Secs. 37-3-41, 37-7-41. If screening results in an individual not being offered services or admitted to the C & A CSU, the C & A CSU shall maint…

1. A physician shall assess each individual to establish a diagnosis and write care orders within twenty-four (24) hours of admission, and document appropriate orders for care; an assessment for risk of suicide will be made by a physician. 2. The licensed clinical social worker o…

The C & A CSU shall maintain a clinical record for each individual, which may be recorded manually or electronically. The clinical record shall contain chronological information on all matters relating to the admission, care and treatment, discharge and legal status of the indivi…

1. The C & A CSU shall have policies and procedures regarding authorized entry to or exit from the unit. 2. The C & A CSU shall have policies and procedures to protect and respect individuals' rights and privacy while conducting searches. 3. Control of potentially injurious items…

1. All pharmacy operations or services within the C & A CSU must be licensed and under the direct supervision of a registered pharmacist or provided by contract with a licensed pharmacy operated by a registered pharmacist. 2. The C & A CSU must ensure access to pharmacy services …

1. Laboratory work and other diagnostic procedures deemed necessary shall be performed as ordered by the physician. 2. Any C & A CSU that processes laboratory tests on-site shall provide documented evidence of a current Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment Waiver.

All C & A CSU food service operations shall comply with current federal and state laws and rules concerning food service: 1. At least three (3) nutritious meals per day shall be served; 2. Nutritional snacks shall be available to each individual; 3. No more than fourteen (14) hou…

The C & A CSU shall develop and implement policies and procedures for infection control and prevention that include the following: 1. Standard precautions are defined and the use of personal protective equipment when handling blood, body substances, excretions and secretions are …

1. The C & A CSU shall safeguard the rights of individuals treated pursuant to applicable state laws and rules and regulations. 2. The rights and responsibilities of individuals and their legal guardians are paramount. It is the expectation that a legal guardian shall be an infor…

1. The C & A CSU shall have records management policies, procedures and practices to manage and to protect the confidentiality and protected health information of individuals' records, to include electronic records. 2. The C & A CSU's records management policies shall support sec…

The legal status of each individual shall be clearly recorded within the clinical record to include: 1. Documenting the legal and clinical basis for the individual's admission to the C & A CSU, whether voluntary or involuntary consistent with all applicable state laws, rules and …

The C & A CSU shall develop a quality assurance plan and update it annually: 1. The quality assurance plan shall address and ensure a comprehensive integrated review of all services and practices which shall include but not be limited to the following: a. High risks situations an…

Areas accessible by individuals shall meet the following requirements: 1. The CSU shall maintain an environment that is clean and in good repair; 2. The environment of the C & A CSU shall have natural light and exterior views; 3. The general architecture of the C & A CSU, along w…

1. Each C & A CSU shall have an emergency fire and disaster plan that includes the following: a. Protocols for and documentation of practice of monthly fire drills rotated so that all shifts have had at least one (1) drill quarterly, including time taken to complete the drill and…

1. The C & A CSU shall develop and implement policies and procedures that address the hiring, training, promotion and termination of staff. 2. The C & A CSU shall define the responsibilities, qualifications, and competencies of staff For all positions. 3. The C & A CSU shall ensu…

The C & A CSU shall assist in the coordination of necessary transportation through transfer and/or discharge to assure the youth's safe passage to the appropriate destination.

1. The C & A CSU shall report critical incidents to the Department as defined by the Departmental policy on reporting of incidents. 2. The C & A CSU shall have internal mechanisms to document, investigate and take appropriate action for complaints and incidents which are not requ…

1. The Department shall be authorized to conduct investigations: a. Investigations shall be conducted to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, rules and regulations; b. Department representatives shall be authorized to enter the premises of a C & A CSU at any time to survey…

The Department shall have the authority to impose any one or more of the sanctions enumerated in Rules 82-4-1.28 and 82-4-1.29 upon a finding that an applicant or licensee has: 1. Knowingly made any verbal or written false statement of material fact either in connection with the …

1. Sanctions against Licensees. When the Department finds that any licensee has violated any provision of these rules and regulations, the Department, subject to notice and opportunity for a hearing, may impose any one or more of the sanctions in subparagraphs (a) through (e) bel…

Where the commissioner of the Department determines that individuals in the care of C & A CSU subject to licensure are subject to an imminent and substantial danger, the commissioner may order any of the extraordinary sanctions listed in any part of this rule to take effect immed…

The Department may, in its discretion, grant waivers and variances of specific rules upon application or petition being filed on forms provided by the department. The Department may establish conditions which must be met by the program in order to operate under the waiver or vari…

In the event that a rule, sentence, clause or phrase of any of these rules and regulations may be construed by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, unconstitutional or otherwise unenforceable, such determination or adjudication shall in no manner affect the…

These rules are adopted and published pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) Title 37, Chapters 3, 4, and 7.

(1) Purpose. The Purpose of these regulations is to safeguard the rights of persons treated pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) Chapters 37-3, 37-4 and 37-7. (2) Applicability. These regulations set forth rights of individuals served in hospitals and int…

(1) Appropriateness. (a) General. Each individual shall receive care and treatment that is suited to the individual's needs in the least restrictive environment available offering appropriate care and treatment. (b) Individual Service Plans. 1. The examination of individuals shal…

(1) General. (a) The dignity of each individual shall be respected at all times and upon all occasions, including any occasion on which the individual is taken into custody, detained, or transported. Except where required under conditions of extreme urgency, those procedures, fac…

(1) General. No individual, whether voluntary or involuntary, shall be deprived of any civil, political, personal, or property rights or be considered legally incompetent for any purpose without due process of law. Hospital staff may exercise clinically-informed discretion in dec…

(1) Contents. (a) A clinical record shall be maintained at each facility for each individual treated at that facility, containing protected health information of the individual. The record shall contain information on all matters relating to the admission, care, treatment, discha…

(1) Notice. (a) To individual: Any time that notice is required to be given to an individual by these regulations or other applicable law, the date on which the notice is given shall be entered in the individual's clinical record. If the individual is unable to read or comprehend…

(1) Complaint Procedures. Any individual (or the individual's guardian or parent of a minor individual, if applicable) or the individual's representative or any staff member may file a complaint alleging that an individual's rights under these regulations or other applicable law …

In the event that any rule, sentence, clause or phrase of any of the rules and regulations in this Chapter may be construed by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, unconstitutional, or otherwise unenforceable, such determination or adjudication shall in no …

The legal authority for this chapter, unless otherwise noted, is the Patient Cost of Care Act, O.C.G.A. Title 37, Chapter-9.

This chapter applies to any state hospital under the control of the department and any facility that provides services to individuals that is controlled by a state hospital.