Pennsylvania Statutes Title 50 P.S. Mental Health § 7105. Treatment facilities

Involuntary treatment and voluntary treatment funded in whole or in part by public moneys shall be available at a facility approved for such purposes by the county administrator (who shall be the County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Administrator of a county or counties, or his duly authorized delegate), or by the department. Approval of facilities shall be made by the appropriate authority which can be the department pursuant to regulations adopted by the department. Treatment may be ordered at the Veterans Administration or other agency of the United States upon receipt of a certificate that the person is eligible for such hospitalization or treatment and that there is available space for his care. Mental health facilities operated under the direct control of the Veterans Administration or other Federal agency are exempt from obtaining State approval. The department's standards for approval shall be at least as stringent as those of the joint commission for accreditation of hospitals and those of the Federal Government pursuant to Titles 18 and 19 of the Federal Social Security Act  1 to the extent that the type of facility is one in which those standards are intended to apply. An exemption from the standards may be granted by the department for a period not in excess of one year and may be renewed. Notice of each exemption and the rationale for allowing the exemption must be published pursuant to the act of July 31, 1968 (P.L. 769, No. 240),  2 known as the “Commonwealth Documents Law,” and shall be prominently posted at the entrance to the main office and in the reception areas of the facility.