The four-day window for the informal hearing begins from which event?

• A. The date the patient was placed on the 14-day hold
• B. The date of admission to hospital
• C. The date of discharge
• D. The date the writ is filed

Answer: (A)

The clock for the informal hearing is tied to the longer detention that follows the initial hold. When the patient is placed on a 14-day hold (the longer 5250 hold), that’s the trigger for the four-day window to have an informal hearing to review whether continued detention is needed. The four-day period does not start from hospital admission, the discharge date, or the filing of a writ, but from the date the 14-day hold begins. This is why the correct answer is the date the patient was placed on the 14-day hold.