Sec. 516.

(1) Any person found suitable by the court may file with the court a petition that asserts that an individual meets the criteria for treatment specified in section 515.

(2) The petition shall contain the alleged facts that are the basis for the assertion, the names and addresses, if known, of any witnesses to alleged and relevant facts, and if known the name and address of the nearest relative or guardian of the individual.

(3) If the petition appears on its face to be sufficient, the court shall order that the individual be examined and a report be prepared. To this end, the court shall appoint a qualified person who may but need not be an employee of the community mental health services program or the court to arrange for the examination, to prepare the report, and to file it with the court.

(4) If it appears to the court that the individual will not comply with an order of examination under subsection (3), the court may order a peace officer to take the individual into protective custody and transport him or her immediately to a facility recommended by the community mental health services program or other suitable place designated by the community mental health services program for up to 48 hours for the ordered examination.

(5) After examination, the individual shall be allowed to return home unless it appears to the court that he or she requires immediate admission to the community mental health services program's recommended facility in order to prevent physical harm to himself, herself, or others pending a hearing, in which case the court shall enter an order to that effect. If an individual is ordered admitted under this subsection, not later than 12 hours after he or she is admitted the facility shall provide him or her with a copy of the petition, a copy of the report, and a written statement in simple terms explaining the individual's rights to a hearing under section 517, to be present at the hearing and to be represented by legal counsel, if 1 physician and 1 licensed psychologist or 2 physicians conclude that the individual meets the criteria for treatment.

(6) The report required by subsection (3) shall contain all of the following:

(a) Evaluations of the individual's mental, physical, social, and educational condition.

(b) A conclusion as to whether the individual meets the criteria for treatment specified in section 515.

(c) A list of available forms of care and treatment that may serve as an alternative to admission to a facility.

(d) A recommendation as to the most appropriate living arrangement for the individual in terms of type and location of living arrangement and the availability of requisite support services.

(e) The signatures of 1 physician and 1 licensed psychologist or 2 physicians who performed examinations serving in part as the basis of the report.

(7) A copy of the report required under subsection (3) shall be sent to the court immediately upon completion.

(8) The petition shall be dismissed by the court unless 1 physician and 1 licensed psychologist or 2 physicians conclude, and that conclusion is stated in the report, that the individual meets the criteria for treatment.

(9) An individual whose admission was ordered under subsection (5) is entitled to a hearing in accordance with section 517.

History: 1974, Act 258, Eff. Nov. 6, 1974 ;-- Am. 1995, Act 290, Eff. Mar. 28, 1996 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 596, Eff. Mar. 28, 2019