(a) The county commission of any county having a population of eight hundred thousand (800,000) or more, according to the 2000 federal census or any subsequent federal census, may designate a division of the county’s general sessions court as the mental health court. The mental health court shall be staffed using existing general sessions court staff members.(b) The mental health court is granted the power to hear cases involving petitions filed under the mental health law, compiled in title 33, and mental commitments.(c) The mental health court shall strive to identify and provide treatment and services to persons who are mentally ill, developmentally disabled or dually diagnosed, or persons who have a history of alcohol or drug abuse.(d) The mental health court shall also strive to create a single point of contact for persons governed by this section and shall seek to provide case management, forensic alternative community treatment and community-based services.
