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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="10-713" title_number="10" title_name="Mental Health Law" subtitle_number="7" subtitle_name="Rights of Mentally Ill Individuals in Facilities">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section, “program or facility” means an inpatient or residential treatment setting, residential crisis service, group home, or residential rehabilitation program.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Upon notification of the death of an individual in a State funded or operated program or facility, the administrative head of the program or facility shall report the death:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Immediately to the sheriff, police, or chief law enforcement official in the jurisdiction in which the death occurred;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Immediately to the Secretary; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>By the close of business of the next working day to:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The Director;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>The health officer in the jurisdiction where the death occurred; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>The designated State protection and advocacy system.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>An initial report:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>May be:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Oral if followed by a written report within 5 working days from the date of the death; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Written;</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Shall contain the following relevant information:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>The name, age, and sex of the deceased;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>The time of discovery of the death;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>The deceased’s place of residence at the time of death;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>The location of the body at the time of discovery;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>The place where the body was found;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="6">
          <text>The name of the person who took custody of the body;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="7">
          <text>The name of the person evaluating the death, if known;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="8">
          <text>Whether or not an autopsy is being performed, if known; and</text>
        </level>
        <level label="9">
          <text>The name, address, and telephone number of the next of kin or legal guardian, if known; and</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Shall contain any other information the administrative head of the facility determines should be provided to the medical examiner and the persons listed in paragraph (2) of this subsection on the deaths occurring:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>By violence;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>By suicide;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="3">
          <text>By casualty;</text>
        </level>
        <level label="4">
          <text>Suddenly, if the deceased was in apparent good health; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="5">
          <text>In any suspicious or unusual manner.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>The written report shall be available for the Director, the health officer in the jurisdiction where the death occurred, and the designated State protection and advocacy system within 5 working days from the date of the death.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>If the death occurred in a program or facility that operates more than one treatment program and where the deceased individual attended more than one treatment program, the facility is required to make only one report.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <text>The sheriff, police, or chief law enforcement officer shall inform the medical examiner in accordance with § 5–309(b) of this article and the medical examiner, if necessary, shall conduct an investigation in accordance with the provisions of that section.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>If the death occurred in a nonresidential psychiatric rehabilitation program, the administrative head of the program shall report the death to the Director by the close of business of the next working day.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The Director shall compile annually a status report for the Secretary on patient deaths reported under this subtitle.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>At a minimum, the status report shall note:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The number of deaths;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The location of each death;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The cause of each death, if known; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Other data the Secretary determines to be relevant to the status report.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
