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Title 24, Hospitals and AsylumsRelease 119-110

§324 Care and Treatment of Eligible Persons Until Transfer and Release

Title 24 › CHAPTER 9 — HOSPITALIZATION OF MENTALLY ILL NATIONALS RETURNED FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES › § 324

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary may provide hospital care and treatment for an eligible person until that person is transferred and released under section 323. The Secretary can use any federal hospital, use federal hospitals outside the Department by agreement, or place the person in public or private hospitals in any State under contracts or other arrangements (even without following section 6101 of title 41). The person may be moved from a temporary care place under section 322. When picking a hospital, the Secretary must put the patient’s best interests first. This authority does not apply to anyone whose medical care is already the responsibility of another U.S. government agency.

Full Legal Text

Title 24, §324

Hospitals and Asylums, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Place of hospitalization
Until the transfer and release of an eligible person pursuant to section 323 of this title, the Secretary is authorized to provide care and treatment for such person at any Federal hospital within or (pursuant to agreement) outside of the Department, or (under contract or other arrangements made without regard to section 6101 of title 41) at any other public or private hospital in any State and, for such purposes, to transfer such person to any such hospital from a place of temporary care provided pursuant to section 322 of this title. In determining the place of such hospitalization, the Secretary shall give due weight to the best interests of the patient.
(b)Ineligible persons
The authority of the Secretary to provide hospitalization for any person under this section shall not apply to any person for whose medical care and treatment any agency of the United States is responsible.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification In subsec. (a), “section 6101 of title 41” substituted for “section 3709 of the Revised Statutes, as amended” on authority of Pub. L. 111–350, § 6(c), Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 3854, which Act enacted Title 41, Public Contracts.

Amendments

1984—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 98–621 substituted “any” for “Saint Elizabeth Hospital, at any other” after “for such person” in first sentence.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–621 effective Oct. 1, 1987, see section 12(b) of Pub. L. 98–621 set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 225 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

24 U.S.C. § 324

Title 24, Hospitals and Asylums

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110