---
title: Title 37, Chapter 7. Hospitalization and Treatment of Alcoholics, Drug Dependent Individuals, and Drug Abusers
collection: code
id: code:chapter:37-7
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/title/37/chapter/7
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7.md
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-6.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-8.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
heading: HOSPITALIZATION AND TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLICS, DRUG DEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS, AND DRUG ABUSERS
title_heading: MENTAL HEALTH
section_count: 65
full_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7.md?full=1
---

# Title 37, Chapter 7. Hospitalization and Treatment of Alcoholics, Drug Dependent Individuals, and Drug Abusers

Title 37. Mental Health

65 sections. Each line is `citation, catchline, status, URL`; the text of every section, in order, is at https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7.md?full=1 (capped, with a pointer to continue).

- 37-7-1, Definitions, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-1.md
- 37-7-2, Authority of board to issue regulations; powers of department generally, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-2.md
- 37-7-3, Coordination of state drug and alcohol abuse programs, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-3.md
- 37-7-4, Validity of hospitalization orders entered before September 1, 1978; establishment of regulations authorizing continued hospitalization of patients hospitalized before September 1, 1978, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-4.md
- 37-7-5, Immunity from liability for actions taken in good faith compliance with admission and discharge provisions of chapter, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-5.md
- 37-7-6, Apprehension by peace officer of patient who leaves facility without permission, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-6.md
- 37-7-7, Approval of private facilities as emergency receiving facilities, evaluating facilities, or treatment facilities; powers and duties of private facilities; right to deny admission, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-7.md
- 37-7-8, ‘‘Drug’’ defined; Right of minor to obtain treatment of drug abuse on his consent alone; binding effect of consent; informing minor’s parent, spouse, custodian, or guardian of treatment, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-8.md
- 37-7-20, Admission of voluntary patients; parental consent to treatment; giving notice of rights to patient at time of admission, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-20.md
- 37-7-21, Discharge of voluntary patients upon recovery or termination of need for hospitalization; notice of discharge, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-21.md
- 37-7-22, Right of voluntary patient to discharge upon application; procedure on denial of application for discharge; notice of discharge, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-22.md
- 37-7-23, Giving voluntary patients periodic notice of rights, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-23.md
- 37-7-24, Transfer of involuntary patients to voluntary status; notice of transfer and of discharge of patients so transferred; discharge of transferred patient charged with criminal offense, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-24.md
- 37-7-40, Designation by department of emergency receiving facilities; reporting; penalty for noncompliance, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-40.md
- 37-7-41, Emergency involuntary treatment; who may certify need; delivery for examination; report of delivery required; annual report, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-41.md
- 37-7-42, Emergency admission of persons arrested for penal offenses; report by officer; entry of report into clinical record, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-42.md
- 37-7-43, Procedure upon admission; notice of proposed discharge, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-43.md
- 37-7-44, Giving patient and his representatives notice of their rights upon patient’s admission to emergency receiving facility, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-44.md
- 37-7-60, Designation of evaluating facilities, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-60.md
- 37-7-61, Petition for court ordered evaluation, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-61.md
- 37-7-62, Hearing on petition for court ordered evaluation; notice; appointment of representatives; patient’s right to counsel; waiver of hearing by patient; procedure upon issuance of order for evaluation, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-62.md
- 37-7-63, Admission of persons to evaluating facilities for evaluation and emergency treatment, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-63.md
- 37-7-64, Length of period of detention in evaluating facility; discharge; procedure upon determination of need for hospitalization or involuntary treatment; notice of discharge from evaluating facility, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-64.md
- 37-7-65, Request for transfer to another evaluating facility; direction of notice of transfer, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-65.md
- 37-7-80, Designation of treatment facilities, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-80.md
- 37-7-81, Procedure for detention of patient beyond evaluation period; hearing, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-81.md
- 37-7-81.1, Disposition of patient upon hearing, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-81.1.md
- 37-7-82, Procedure upon failure of or noncompliance with involuntary outpatient treatment plan, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-82.md
- 37-7-83, Procedure for continued involuntary hospitalization, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-83.md
- 37-7-84, Appointment of hearing examiners for hearings as to continued hospitalization; powers of hearing examiners generally; issuance of subpoenas, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-84.md
- 37-7-85, Periodic review of treatment plan; procedure upon termination of need for involuntary treatment; designation of discharge decisionmaker; notice of discharge or transfer to voluntary status, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-85.md
- 37-7-90, Physician’s or psychologist’s determination and certification as to involuntary outpatient care; treatment of patient as inpatient or outpatient, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-90.md
- 37-7-91, Discharge of persons meeting outpatient care criteria; time; preparation of service plan; interim outpatient treatment; notice of discharge; petition for hearing, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-91.md
- 37-7-92, Hearing; notice; waiver of hearing; apprehension and detention of patient failing to appear; treatment upon waiver, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-92.md
- 37-7-93, Court order for outpatient treatment; physician’s or psychologist’s petition to extend order; review of petition; hearing on extension petition; patients under juvenile court jurisdiction, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-93.md
- 37-7-94, Reviews of individual service plans; discharge of patients from treatment; notice of discharge, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-94.md
- 37-7-95, Discharge of patients under criminal charges, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-95.md
- 37-7-100, Placement and transfer of patients generally, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-100.md
- 37-7-101, Transportation of patients generally, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-101.md
- 37-7-102, Transfer to custody of federal agencies for diagnosis, care, or treatment; retention of jurisdiction by State courts; jurisdiction over patients in federal hospitals and institutions located in Georgia, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-102.md
- 37-7-103, Procedure for transfer of Georgia residents from out-of-state hospitals to Georgia hospitals, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-103.md
- 37-7-104, Procedure upon discovery that a patient hospitalized in Georgia is not a resident, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-104.md
- 37-7-120, Effect of inability to pay on right to care and treatment, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-120.md
- 37-7-121, Liability for expenses of transporting, examining, and caring for patients, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-121.md
- 37-7-122, Payment of expenses incurred in connection with hearings held under this chapter, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-122.md
- 37-7-140, Retention of rights and privileges by patients generally; right to due process, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-140.md
- 37-7-141, Patients’ right to legal counsel, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-141.md
- 37-7-142, Right of patients to communicate with persons outside facility and to receive visitors; inspection, restriction, and censorship of patient correspondence; establishment by chief medical officer of regulations governing visits and use of telephones, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-142.md
- 37-7-143, Patients’ rights in regard to personal effects; liability of facility’s employees and staff members for loss of or damage to patients’ personal effects, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-143.md
- 37-7-144, Patients’ right to vote, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-144.md
- 37-7-145, Employment of patients outside facilities, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-145.md
- 37-7-146, Education of children undergoing treatment in a facility, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-146.md
- 37-7-147, Appointment of patient representatives and guardians ad litem; notice provisions; duration and scope of guardianship ad litem, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-147.md
- 37-7-148, Rights of patients or representatives to petition for writ of habeas corpus and for judicial protection of rights and privileges granted by this chapter, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-148.md
- 37-7-149, Establishment of patients and staff complaint procedures; making of final decisions; complaint procedures as alternative to legal remedies, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-149.md
- 37-7-150, Right to appeal orders of probate court, juvenile court, or hearing examiner; payment of costs of appeal; right of patient to subsequent appeal; right of patient to legal counsel on appeal, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-150.md
- 37-7-160, Individual dignity of patients to be respected; treatment of alcoholics and drug abusers as medical patients; use of criminal facilities and procedures, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-160.md
- 37-7-161, Securing of least restrictive alternative placement; assisting patient in securing placement in noninstitutional community facilities and programs, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-161.md
- 37-7-162, Patient’s care and treatment rights, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-162.md
- 37-7-163, Recognition of patients’ physical integrity; patients’ right to refuse medication; obtaining consent to treatment and surgery; performance of emergency surgery; immunity of physician; direction of notice of actions taken under Code section, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-163.md
- 37-7-164, ‘‘Representative,’’ ‘‘substantial change’’ defined; consultation by patient’s representative with treatment facility; notification of treatment change; guardian’s consultation and notification rights, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-164.md
- 37-7-165, Mistreatment, neglect, or abuse of patients; use of medication, seclusion, or physical restraints, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-165.md
- 37-7-166, Maintenance, confidentiality, and release of clinical records; disclosure of confidential or privileged patient information, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-166.md
- 37-7-167, Right of patient to examine his records and to request correction of inaccuracies; promulgation of rules and regulations; judicial supervision of files and records relating to proceedings under this chapter, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-167.md
- 37-7-168, Right of patient’s attorney to interview physician or psychologist and staff attending patient; establishment of regulations as to release of information to patient’s attorney, active, https://georgiacommons.org/code/37-7-168.md