Georgia CommonsHouse · Engrossed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 677: Health; certain placement procedures for children upon discharge from a hospital or psychiatric residential treatment facility; provide
Last action March 10, 2025 · Senate Read and Referred
House Bill 677 would require hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities in Georgia to convene a task force when a child's parent or guardian fails to pick them up within 48 hours of discharge.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Comm Sub version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Under current Georgia law, there is no specific statewide procedure for what happens when a child finishes psychiatric treatment at a hospital or residential facility but their parent, guardian, or legal custodian does not come to take custody of them. HB677 adds a new section to Georgia's health code (O.C.G.A. § 31-1-26) addressing this gap for children who are not already in state custody through the Division of Family and Children Services. If a parent, guardian, or legal custodian fails to pick up a child within 48 hours of a doctor's discharge order following psychiatric care or acute psychiatric care, the hospital or facility must assemble a task force. That group includes a care coordinator, the child's treating psychiatrist (or the facility's medical director if the psychiatrist is unavailable), and, when relevant, representatives from the Department of Human Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the child's health insurer, and the child's Medicaid care management organization. The task force must meet promptly to find an appropriate medical or community placement. The bill also requires monthly reporting to a state behavioral health committee and an annual report to legislative appropriations committees.
What the bill does
- Creates a new legal requirement for hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities to act when a discharged child is not picked up within 48 hours.
- Requires formation of a task force including a care coordinator, the treating psychiatrist or medical director, and relevant state agency or insurer representatives.
- Directs the task force to meet without delay to find an appropriate medical or community placement for the child.
- Requires task forces to report information monthly to the Multi-Agency Treatment for Children (MATCH) Committee within the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
- Requires the department to submit an annual report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the number of affected children and their length of stay.
Who it affects
Hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities, children receiving psychiatric or acute psychiatric care whose parents or guardians do not retrieve them after discharge, treating psychiatrists and medical directors, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, health insurers, and Medicaid care management organizations.
Why it matters
Children who are medically ready for discharge but not picked up by a parent or guardian can otherwise remain in a hospital or treatment facility with no clear process for finding them a next placement. This bill creates a structured, time-bound response involving clinical staff, state agencies, and insurers to move the child into appropriate care.
Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new O.C.G.A. § 31-1-26, defining 'acute psychiatric care' and 'health benefit policy' for purposes of the new procedures.
- Section 1(b) applies only to children not already in Department of Human Services custody through the Division of Children and Family Services.
- Section 1(b)(1) requires assembly of a task force when a parent, guardian, or legal custodian fails to take physical custody within 48 hours of a physician's discharge order.
- Section 1(b)(2) requires the task force to meet without delay to determine an appropriate medical or community placement.
- Section 2 requires monthly reporting by task forces to the MATCH Committee and an annual report from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees by December 31 of the year following the law's effective date.
- Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Every hospital and psychiatric residential treatment facility in this state shall adhere to the following procedures for instances in which the parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child not in the custody of the Department of Human Services through the Division of Children and Family Services who has received psychiatric care or acute psychiatric care at such hospital or facility fails to take physical custody of such child within 48 hours of a physician's discharge order from such hospital or facility”
“Such task force shall meet without delay to determine an appropriate medical or community placement of such child into an appropriate environment.”
Status timeline
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Katie Dempsey (R, HD-13)
- Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
- Lee Hawkins (R, HD-27)
- Matt Hatchett (R, HD-155)
- Mary Margaret Oliver (D, HD-84)
Votes
- House voteMarch 6, 2025
173 yea, 1 nay (1 not voting, 5 excused)
Topics
- child psychiatric care
- hospital discharge procedures
- behavioral health policy
- foster care and custody
- health insurance coordination