---
title: O.C.G.A. § 37-7-21. Discharge of voluntary patients upon recovery or termination of need for hospitalization; notice of discharge.
collection: code
id: 37-7-21
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 37-7-21 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-21
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-21.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-21/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t37-t39-(v28)-2021-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=c6b9c518_0#page=285
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: MENTAL HEALTH / HOSPITALIZATION AND TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLICS, DRUG DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS, AND DRUG ABUSERS / HOSPITALIZATION AND TREATMENT OF VOLUNTARY PATIENTS
---

# O.C.G.A. § 37-7-21. Discharge of voluntary patients upon recovery or termination of need for hospitalization; notice of discharge.

(a) The chief medical officer of the facility shall discharge any voluntary patient who has recovered from his alcoholism, drug dependency, or drug abuse or who has sufficiently improved that the chief medical officer determines, after consideration of the recommendations of the treatment team, that hospitalization of the patient is no longer necessary, provided that in no event shall any such patient be so discharged if, in the judgment of the chief medical officer of such facility, such discharge would be unsafe for the patient or others. The chief medical officer may designate in writing a physician or psychologist, who may be the attending physician or treating psychologist, to make these discharge decisions. If the decision of the designee is contrary to the recommendations of the treatment team or a physician or psychologist member of the treatment team, the issue must go to the chief medical officer for final determination. Where there is concurrence, the decision of the designee will be final.

(b) Notice of discharge of patients who have been transferred from involuntary to voluntary status shall be given pursuant to Code Section 37-7-24.

## History

Code 1933, § 88-404.2, enacted by Ga. L. 1971, p. 273, § 1; Code 1933, § 88-403.2, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 1856, § 1; Ga. L. 1991, p. 1059, § 4; Ga. L. 1992, p. 1902, § 16.