24 U.S.C. § 225 Findings and Purposes

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-34 (published on www.congress.gov on 12/26/2023), except for [P. L. 118-31]
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 24 U.S.C. § 225

(a) The Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Governmentally administered mental health services in the District of Columbia are currently provided through two separate public entities, the federally administered Saint Elizabeths Hospital and the Mental Health Services Administration of the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources.

(2) The District of Columbia has a continuing responsibility to provide mental health services to its residents.

(3) The Federal Government, through its operation of a national mental health program at Saint Elizabeths Hospital, has for over 100 years assisted the District of Columbia in carrying out that responsibility.

(4) Since its establishment by Congress in 1855, Saint Elizabeths Hospital has developed into a respected national mental health hospital and study, training, and treatment center, providing a range of quality mental health and related services, including-

(i) acute and chronic inpatient psychiatric care;

(ii) outpatient psychiatric and substance abuse clinical and related services;

(iii) Federal court system forensic psychiatry referral, evaluation, and patient treatment services for prisoners, and for individuals awaiting trial or requiring post-trial or post-sentence psychiatric evaluation;

(iv) patient care and related services for designated classes of individuals entitled to mental health benefits under Federal law, such as certain members and employees of the United States Armed Forces and the Foreign Service, and residents of American overseas dependencies;

(v) District of Columbia court system forensic psychiatry referral, evaluation, and patient treatment services for prisoners, and for individuals awaiting trial or requiring post-trial or postsentence psychiatric evaluation;

(vi) programs for special populations such as the mentally ill deaf;

(vii) support for basic and applied clinical psychiatric research and related patient services conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and other institutions; and

(viii) professional and paraprofessional training in the major mental health disciplines.

(5) The continuation of the range of services currently provided by federally administered Saint Elizabeths Hospital must be assured, as these services are integrally related to-

(i) the availability of adequate mental health services to District of Columbia residents, nonresidents who require mental health services while in the District of Columbia, individuals entitled to mental health services under Federal law, and individuals referred by both Federal and local court systems; and