(1) The institution located at Lewistown is the Montana mental health nursing care center. The primary function of the center is the care and treatment of persons with mental disorders who require nursing care. Priority must be given to patients referred from the Montana state hospital.
(2) Appropriate admissions to the Montana mental health nursing care center are persons who are unable to maintain themselves in their homes or communities due to a mental disorder, as defined in 53-21-102, but who do not require the intensity of treatment available at the Montana state hospital.
(3) The department of public health and human services may adopt rules concerning specific admission criteria, treatment, and discharge procedures consistent with 53-21-414 and subsections (1) and (2) of this section.