7 AAC 50.825. Admission

(a) In addition to complying with the requirements set out in 7 AAC 50.320 regarding admission to residential child care facilities, a residential psychiatric treatment center shall comply with this section.

(b) A residential psychiatric treatment center shall perform a psychiatric and functional assessment of each potential resident, including an evaluation described in 7 AAC 43.870(b) , and shall

(1) evaluate a recent assessment of the potential resident performed by another professional mental health clinician; or

(2) review the complete treatment history of the potential resident.

(c) A residential psychiatric treatment center may not admit a child for treatment as a resident if the child is less than six years of age.

(d) To admit a child for treatment as a resident, a residential psychiatric treatment center must document that

(1) other care or treatment resources available in the community or region do not meet the treatment needs of the child because the other care or treatment resources are

(A) more restrictive or less restrictive than necessary to appropriately treat the child; or

(B) provided in a setting less restrictive than the facility, but the child's treatment history shows that when therapeutic services in less restrictive settings have been provided to the child the services have been ineffective;

(2) proper treatment of the child's psychiatric condition requires treatment and services on an inpatient residential basis under the direction of a physician because the child

(A) has a psychiatric condition or disorder that is

(i) classified as a DSM-IV Axis I diagnosis as set out in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, dated 1994; the provisions of that Axis are adopted by reference, as amended from time to time; or

(ii) indicated by a rating on the DSM-IV Axis V of GAF equal to 50 or less, or has an Axis V GAF rating of more than 50 but exhibits specific mental, behavioral, or emotional disorders that place the child at imminent risk for out-of-home supervision or protective custody by state or local authorities;

(B) requires the intensity of services available at a residential psychiatric treatment center, as documented by the clinical director of the facility, specifically including the following needs:

(i) a need for treatment services to be supervised by a psychiatrist;

(ii) a need for mental health professionals to be available to intervene with the child 24 hours a day;

(iii) a need for the child to concurrently receive multiple therapies;

(C) does not demonstrate mental, emotional, or behavioral dysfunction that requires acute psychiatric hospitalization, such as a serious gesture or an actual attempt at suicide; and

(D) does not demonstrate actual behavior of assaults or escalation towards assault that cannot be managed at the level of care available in the facility; and

(3) the services provided by the facility can reasonably be expected to improve the child's condition or to prevent further regression so that services of a residential psychiatric treatment center will no longer be needed.

History: Eff. 6/21/2001, Register 158

Authority: AS 44.29.020

Editor's note: The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, dated 1994 and adopted by reference in 7 AAC 50.825, may be obtained by writing to the American Psychiatric Association, 1400 K Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005. This manual is also available for viewing at the Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Family and Youth Services, 130 Seward Street, Suite 406, Juneau, Alaska.

The Alaska Administrative Code was automatically converted to HTML from a plain text format. Every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy, but neither Touch N' Go Systems nor the Law Offices of James B. Gottstein can be held responsible for any possible errors. This version of the Alaska Administrative Code is current through June, 2006.

If it is critical that the precise terms of the Alaska Administrative Code be known, it is recommended that more formal sources be consulted. Recent editions of the Alaska Administrative Journal may be obtained from the Alaska Lieutenant Governor's Office on the world wide web. If any errors are found, please e-mail Touch N' Go systems at E-mail. We hope you find this information useful. Copyright 2006. Touch N' Go Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.