(1) At any time before the end of the 90-day involuntary services period, or before the end of any extension granted pursuant to s. 397.6975, an individual receiving involuntary services may be determined eligible for discharge to the most appropriate referral or disposition for the individual when any of the following apply:

(a) The individual no longer meets the criteria for involuntary admission and has given his or her informed consent to be transferred to voluntary treatment status.

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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 397.6971

  • Court: means the court of legal jurisdiction in the context in which the term is used in this chapter. See Florida Statutes 397.311
  • Director: means the chief administrative or executive officer of a service provider or recovery residence. See Florida Statutes 397.311
  • Individual: means a person who receives alcohol or other drug abuse treatment services delivered by a service provider. See Florida Statutes 397.311
  • Informed consent: means consent voluntarily given in writing by a competent person after sufficient explanation and disclosure of the subject matter involved to enable the person to make a knowing and willful decision without any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, or other form of constraint or coercion. See Florida Statutes 397.311
  • Involuntary services: means an array of behavioral health services that may be ordered by the court for persons with substance abuse impairment or co-occurring substance abuse impairment and mental health disorders. See Florida Statutes 397.311
  • provider: means a public agency, a private for-profit or not-for-profit agency, a person who is a private practitioner, or a hospital licensed under this chapter or exempt from licensure under this chapter. See Florida Statutes 397.311
  • Qualified professional: means a physician or a physician assistant licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459; a professional licensed under chapter 490 or chapter 491; an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under part I of chapter 464; or a person who is certified through a department-recognized certification process for substance abuse treatment services and who holds, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree. See Florida Statutes 397.311
  • Stabilization: means :
    (a) Alleviation of a crisis condition; or
    (b) Prevention of further deterioration,

    and connotes short-term emergency treatment. See Florida Statutes 397.311

(b) If the individual was admitted on the grounds of likelihood of infliction of physical harm upon himself or herself or others, such likelihood no longer exists.
(c) If the individual was admitted on the grounds of need for assessment and stabilization or treatment, accompanied by inability to make a determination respecting such need:

1. Such inability no longer exists; or
2. It is evident that further treatment will not bring about further significant improvements in the individual’s condition.
(d) The individual is no longer in need of services.
(e) The director of the service provider determines that the individual is beyond the safe management capabilities of the provider.
(2) Whenever a qualified professional determines that an individual admitted for involuntary services qualifies for early release under subsection (1), the service provider shall immediately discharge the individual and must notify all persons specified by the court in the original treatment order.