No patient of a hospital for persons with mental illnesses shall be compelled to perform labor which involves the operation, support, or maintenance of the hospital or for which the hospital is under contract with an outside organization. Privileges or release from the hospital shall not be conditional upon the performance of such labor. Patients who volunteer to perform such labor shall be compensated at a rate derived from the value of work performed, having reference to the prevailing wage rate for comparable work or wage rates established under section 4111.06 of the Revised Code.

A patient may be required to perform therapeutic tasks which do not involve the operation, support, or maintenance of the hospital if those tasks are an integrated part of the patient’s treatment plan and supervised by a person qualified to oversee the therapeutic aspects of the activity.

A patient may be required to perform tasks of a personal housekeeping nature.

Last updated January 25, 2023 at 11:39 AM