republic-os/legal/us/code/title-24/chapter-4/section-225.md

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LegalText	24 U.S.C. § 225	Findings and purposes	us	united_states_code	code_section	24	HOSPITALS AND ASYLUMS	4	SAINT ELIZABETHS HOSPITAL	225	24 U.S.C. § 225	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc24@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t24/s225	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-24/usc24.xml	c1df24b75844348433b54a30e07e0d5eda182ac8c512879c92f8d0b4bf51aa68	0496f109fbd19f0cda0e5cca639449e329ed2357dcb8b8095d1127a2bfcf2c67	9bb0f364aa77a95e37a625996e919cffd0f10208fce2e8317e69f9756a4f12f5	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

24 U.S.C. § 225 - Findings and purposes

Text

(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

(ii) the Nation’s capacity to increase our knowledge and understanding about mental illness and to facilitate and continue the development and broad availability of sound and modern methods and approaches for the treatment of mental illness.

(6) The assumption of all or selected functions, programs, and resources of Saint Elizabeths Hospital from the Federal Government by the District of Columbia, and the integration of those functions, resources, and programs into a comprehensive mental health care system administered solely by the District of Columbia, will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services currently provided through those two separate entities by shifting the primary focus of care to an integrated community-based system.

(7) Such assumption of all or selected functions, programs, and resources of Saint Elizabeths Hospital by the District of Columbia would further the principle of home rule for the District of Columbia.

(b) It is the intent of Congress that—

(1) the District of Columbia have in operation no later than October 1, 1993, an integrated coordinated mental health system in the District which provides—

(A) high quality, cost-effective, and community-based programs and facilities;

(B) a continuum of inpatient and outpatient mental health care, residential treatment, and support services through an appropriate balance of public and private resources; and

(C) assurances that patient rights and medical needs are protected;

(2) the comprehensive District mental health care system be in full compliance with the Federal court consent decree in Dixon v. Heckler;

(3) the District and Federal Governments bear equitable shares of the costs of a transition from the present system to a comprehensive District mental health system;

(4) the transition to a comprehensive District mental health system provided for by this subchapter be carried out with maximum consideration for the interests of employees of the Hospital and provide a right-of-first-refusal to such employees for employment at comparable levels in positions created under the system implementation plan;

(5) the Federal Government have the responsibility for the retraining of Hospital employees to prepare such employees for the requirements of employment in a comprehensive District mental health system;

(6) the Federal Government continue high quality mental health research, training, and demonstration programs at Saint Elizabeths Hospital;

(7) the District government establish and maintain accreditation and licensing standards for all services provided in District mental health facilities which assure quality care consistent with appropriate Federal regulations and comparable with standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals; and

(8) the comprehensive mental health system plan include a component for direct services for the homeless mentally ill.

(Pub. L. 98–621, § 2, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3369; Pub. L. 102–150, § 3(a), Oct. 31, 1991, 105 Stat. 980.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

References in TextThis subchapter, referred to in subsec. (b)(4), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 98–621, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3369, known as the Saint Elizabeths Hospital and District of Columbia Mental Health Services Act. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note below and Tables.

Amendments1991—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 102–150 substituted “October 1, 1993” for “October 1, 1991”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective DatePub. L. 98–621, § 12, formerly § 11, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3382, renumbered § 12, Pub. L. 102–150, § 4(1), Oct. 31, 1991, 105 Stat. 981, provided that: “(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act [see Short Title note below] shall take effect on October 1, 1985.” “(b) Section 10 [amending section 324 of this title and repealing sections 161, 164 to 166, 168, 168a, 169, 169a, 170 to 172, 175 to 177, 180 to 185, 191, 192, 194, 195, 195a, 196, 196b, 197 to 204, 206, 211 to 214, 221, and 222 of this title and section 300aa–3 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare] shall take effect on October 1, 1987.”

Short Title of 1991 AmendmentPub. L. 102–150, § 1, Oct. 31, 1991, 105 Stat. 980, provided that: “This Act [enacting section 225h of this title, amending this section and sections 225b and 225f of this title, and renumbering provisions set out as a note under this section] may be cited as the ‘District of Columbia Mental Health Program Assistance Act of 1991’.”

Short TitlePub. L. 98–621, § 1, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3369, provided that: “This Act [enacting this subchapter, amending section 324 of this title, repealing sections 161, 164 to 166, 168, 168a, 169, 169a, 170 to 172, 175 to 177, 180 to 185, 191, 192, 194, 195, 195a, 196, 196b, 197 to 204, 206, 211 to 214, 221, and 222 of this title and section 300aa–3 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare] may be cited as the ‘Saint Elizabeths Hospital and District of Columbia Mental Health Services Act’.”