(a)
(1)A Patient Management Unit (PMU) shall be established within the State Department of State Hospitals to facilitate patient movement across all facilities under its jurisdiction and any psychiatric programs operated by the State Department of State Hospitals pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
(2)
The PMU’s responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to, oversight and centralized management of patient admissions, and collection of data for reports and patient population projections.
(b)
The State Department of State Hospitals shall adopt regulations, consistent with this article,
concerning policies and procedures to be implemented by the PMU, including, but not limited to, both of the following:
(1)
Policies and procedures for patient referral to the State Department of State Hospitals.
(2)
Screening criteria that ensures that patients are placed in a state hospital or psychiatric program closest to their county of residence in the absence of a compelling reason to place the patient in another facility. Compelling reasons may include, but not be limited to, the patient’s specialized psychiatric, medical, or safety needs, and the availability of beds for his or her commitment type.
(c)
The Director of State Hospitals may adopt emergency regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the
Government Code) to implement this section. The adoption of an emergency regulation under this paragraph is deemed to address an emergency, for purposes of Sections 11346.1 and 11349.6 of the Government Code, and the Director of State Hospitals is hereby exempted for this purpose from the requirements of subdivision (b) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code.