5139.54 Medical release or discharge. - Ohio Statutes

5139.54 Medical release or discharge.

(A) Notwithstanding any other provision for determining when a child shall be released or discharged from the legal custody of the department of youth services, including jurisdictional provisions in section 2152.22 of the Revised Code, the release authority, for medical reasons, may release a child upon supervised release or discharge the child from the custody of the department when any of the following applies:

(1) The child is terminally ill or otherwise in imminent danger of death.

(2) The child is incapacitated due to injury, disease, illness, or other medical condition and is no longer a threat to public safety.

(3) The child appears to be a mentally ill person subject to hospitalization by court order, as defined in section 5122.01 of the Revised Code, or a mentally retarded person subject to institutionalization by court order, as defined in section 5123.01 of the Revised Code.

(B) When considering whether to release or discharge a child under this section for medical reasons, the release authority may request additional medical information about the child or may ask the department to conduct additional medical examinations.

(C) The release authority shall determine the appropriate level of supervised release for a child released under this section. The terms and conditions of the release may require periodic medical reevaluations as appropriate. Upon granting a release or discharge under this section, the release authority shall give notice of the release and its terms and conditions or of the discharge to the court that committed the child to the custody of the department.

(D) The release authority shall submit annually to the director of youth services a report that includes all of the following information for the previous calendar year:

(1) The number of children the release authority considered for medical release or discharge;

(2) The nature of the injury, disease, illness, or other medical condition of each child considered for medical release or discharge;

(3) The decision made by the release authority for each child, including the reasons for denying medical release or discharge or for granting it;

(4) The number of children on medical release who were returned to a secure facility or whose supervised release was revoked.

Effective Date: 01-01-2002