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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>56627</law_id><section_number>37.2-838</section_number><catch_line>Discharge of individuals from a licensed hospital</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>37.2-814</reference><reference>37.2-817.01</reference><reference>37.2-821</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="37.2">Behavioral Health and Developmental Services</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="III">Admissions and Dispositions</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="8">Emergency Custody and Voluntary and Involuntary Civil Admissions</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="7">Discharge and Transfers</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>The person in charge of a <span class="dictionary">licensed hospital</span> may discharge any <span class="dictionary">individual</span> involuntarily admitted who is recovered or, if not recovered, whose discharge will not be detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to the <span class="dictionary">individual</span>, or who meets other criteria as specified in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Discharge from state hospitals or training centers, conditional release, and trial or home visits for individuals" href="/37.2-837/">37.2-837</a>. Prior to discharging any <span class="dictionary">individual</span> who has not executed an advance directive, the person in charge of a <span class="dictionary">licensed hospital</span> or his designee shall give to the <span class="dictionary">individual</span> a written explanation of the procedures for executing an advance directive in accordance with the Health Care Decisions Act (&#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Short title" href="/54.1-2981/">54.1-2981</a> et seq.) and an advance directive form, which may be the form set forth in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Suggested form of written advance directives" href="/54.1-2984/">54.1-2984</a>. The person in charge of the <span class="dictionary">licensed hospital</span> may refuse to discharge any <span class="dictionary">individual</span> involuntarily admitted, if, in his <span class="dictionary">judgment</span>, the discharge will be detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to the <span class="dictionary">individual</span>. The person in charge of a <span class="dictionary">licensed hospital</span> may grant a <span class="dictionary">trial</span> or home visit to an <span class="dictionary">individual</span> in accordance with regulations adopted by the <span class="dictionary">Board</span>.</p></section></text><history>1968, c. 477, &#xA7; 37.1-99; 1976, c. 671; 1980, cc. 582, 583; 2005, c. 716; 2012, cc. 476, 507; 2016, c. 688.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
