Subdivision 1. Time for early intervention hearing. The hearing on the petition for early intervention shall be held within 14 days from the date of the filing of the petition. For good cause shown, the court may extend the time of hearing up to an additional 30 days. When any proposed patient has not had a hearing on a petition filed for early intervention within the allowed time, the proceedings shall be dismissed.

Subd. 2. Notice of hearing. The proposed patient, the patient's counsel, the petitioner, the county attorney, and any other persons as the court directs shall be given at least five days' notice that a hearing will be held and at least two days' notice of the time and date of the hearing, except that any person may waive notice. Notice to the proposed patient may be waived by patient's counsel.

Subd. 3. Failure to appear. If a proposed patient fails to appear at the hearing, the court may reschedule the hearing within five days and direct a health officer, peace officer, or other person to take the proposed patient to an appropriate treatment facility designated by the court and transport the person to the hearing.

Subd. 4. Procedures. The hearing must be conducted pursuant to section 253B.08, subdivisions 3 to 8.

Subd. 5. Early intervention criteria. (a) A court shall order early intervention treatment of a proposed patient who meets the criteria under paragraph (b) or (c). The early intervention treatment must be less intrusive than long-term inpatient commitment and must be the least restrictive treatment program available that can meet the patient's treatment needs.

(b) The court shall order early intervention treatment if the court finds all of the elements of the following factors by clear and convincing evidence:

(1) the proposed patient is mentally ill;

(2) the proposed patient refuses to accept appropriate mental health treatment; and

(3) the proposed patient's mental illness is manifested by instances of grossly disturbed behavior or faulty perceptions and either:

(i) the grossly disturbed behavior or faulty perceptions significantly interfere with the proposed patient's ability to care for self and the proposed patient, when competent, would have chosen substantially similar treatment under the same circumstances; or

(ii) due to the mental illness, the proposed patient received court-ordered inpatient treatment under section 253B.09 at least two times in the previous three years; the patient is exhibiting symptoms or behavior substantially similar to those that precipitated one or more of the court-ordered treatments; and the patient is reasonably expected to physically or mentally deteriorate to the point of meeting the criteria for commitment under section 253B.09 unless treated.

For purposes of this paragraph, a proposed patient who was released under section 253B.095 and whose release was not revoked is not considered to have received court-ordered inpatient treatment under section 253B.09.

(c) The court may order early intervention treatment if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that a pregnant woman is a chemically dependent person. A chemically dependent person for purposes of this section is a woman who has during pregnancy engaged in excessive use, for a nonmedical purpose, of controlled substances or their derivatives, alcohol, or inhalants that will pose a substantial risk of damage to the brain or physical development of the fetus.

(d) For purposes of paragraphs (b) and (c), none of the following constitute a refusal to accept appropriate mental health treatment:

(1) a willingness to take medication but a reasonable disagreement about type or dosage;

(2) a good faith effort to follow a reasonable alternative treatment plan, including treatment as specified in a valid advance directive under chapter 145C or section 253B.03, subdivision 6d;

(3) an inability to obtain access to appropriate treatment because of inadequate health care coverage or an insurer's refusal or delay in providing coverage for the treatment; or

(4) an inability to obtain access to needed mental health services because the provider will only accept patients who are under a court order or because the provider gives persons under a court order a priority over voluntary patients in obtaining treatment and services.

History: 1997 c 217 art 1 s 37; 1999 c 118 s 1; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 9 s 30; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113; 2007 c 69 s 2