Designation of Health Officers

Complete the Health Officer Application online for a faster, more convenient, and accessible submission experience. You can upload any required supporting documentation directly through the secure online form.

Download the official Health Officer Application in PDF format. Complete the form and submit it along with any required documentation as outlined in the application instructions.

Policy Numbers: 601
Program Standards: Designation of Health Officers
Effective Date: July 1, 2026

Approved by Board Chairperson Matt Otermat and Board Director Mircea Handru
Approved Date: July 1, 2026

Purpose

To establish criteria and define the procedures for designating Health Officers pursuant to Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5122, and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health.

Policy

It is the policy of the Board to selectively designate key staff as Health Officers within a contracted provider agency under the authority of Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5122. The Health Officer is to perform pre-hospital screening and non-judicial emergency admissions to public and private hospitals.

Accountability

Assistant Director, Executive Director

Definitions

Health Officer: Health Officer means any public health physician, public health nurse, or other person authorized by the Board to perform the duties of a Health Officer.

Procedure

Application

A behavioral health provider seeking to have an employee designated as a Health Officer for the first time shall:

• Complete and submit to the Board the Health Officer Application (Form A).
• Copies of the employee’s professional licenses, registrations, and/or certificates.
• A copy of the employee’s criminal record from the County Sheriff and/or FBI/BCI dates within six months of the application date.
• Verification that the employee has completed training which at minimum shall address the following subjects:
• Training in the Ohio Revised Code sections pertaining to involuntary mental health treatment.
• Relevant sections of the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and other diagnostic material.
• Appropriate utilization of community resources.
• Training in first aid and universal precautions for infection control and accessing emergency medical services.
• Cultural diversity competency.
• The Board Assistant Director will review the application, and if it meets the criteria, will recommend the appointment to the Board Executive Director. If approved, the Board shall notify the provider in writing of the designation and term of each Health Officer.

Term of Public Health Officers

The Board designates Health Officers for a two-year period. Approved Health Officers will be supervised according to the policy of the provider. At the expiration of the Health Officer’s two-year term, the provider may apply for the renewal of the certification as follows:

• At least 30 days prior to the expiration of the term, complete the Board Health Officer RenewalApplication (Form B), along with a summary of the application’s performance as a Health Officer, and submit the application to the Board.
• The designation may be revoked at any time at the sole discretion of the provider’s ExecutiveDirector upon written notice to the Board. A designation as a Health Officer shall automatically expire if the Health Officer terminates his/her employment with the provider.

Monitoring of Health Officers

• Health Officers report to the provider’s designated service supervisor.
• The provider shall conduct reviews of the Health Officer’s performance.
• The provider shall keep on file all documentation that the above-mentioned reviews have beenconducted. All additional education or training shall also be recorded for the Health Officers. Each HealthOfficer must receive 3 CEU’s in mental health, crisis de-escalation/intervention or suicidal ideation duringtheir two-year designation.
• The above information shall be made available to the Board’s Executive Director upon request.

Responsibilities of Health Officers

• Provide a written statement to the hospital or pre-screening agency that specifies the circumstancesunder which the person was taken into custody, and the Health Officer’s reasons to believe that the personis mentally ill and subject to hospitalization. (A copy of this must be provided to the respondent or his/herattorney upon request of either.)
• Make every reasonable and appropriate effort to take such person into custody in the least conspicuousmanner possible.
• Explain to the person taken into custody that the custody taking is not a criminal arrest, and that theperson is being taken for examination by a mental health professional at a specified mental health facility,which is to be identified by name.
• Take reasonable precautions to preserve and safeguard the personal property in the possession of or onthe premises occupied by the person.
• Protect the client’s rights to privacy and confidentiality. (Adhere to the appropriate code of ethicalconduct for licensed mental health professionals.)
• Provide the second opinion when the Crisis Intervention Team is unable to stabilize the situation andfeels that taking a person into custody is necessary.

Qualifications of a Health Officer

• Only persons employed by a Board-funded provider shall have eligible designations as Health Officers.Applications for the agency approval of designation of Health Officer must be submitted by the fundedagency on behalf of its employee. Exception to this rule may be approved by the Board’s Executive Director.
• Provider employee recommended for designation as a Health Officer must maintain a current Ohiolicense as one of the following medical professionals: LISW, LSW, LPCC, LPC, MSN, NP, CNS, APRN, RN,CT, or psychology assistant. Master’s prepared candidates for Health Officer are preferred; however,Bachelor prepared or RN with two years of experience in mental health assessments of Severely MentallyDisabled persons will be considered