(a) There shall be a Division of Mental Health, Mental Retardation, and Substance Abuse within the Department of Human Resources and a director thereof whose qualifications meet standards set by the board.

(b) The department, through the division, shall:

(1) Establish, administer, and supervise the state programs for mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse;

(2) Direct, supervise, and control the medical and physical care, treatment, and rehabilitation provided by the institutions and programs under its control, management, or supervision;

(3) Have authority to contract for services with: public or private hospitals; hospital authorities; medical schools and training and educational institutions; departments and agencies of this state; regional boards; county or municipal governments; any person, partnership, corporation, or association, whether public or private; the United States government or the government of any other state;

(4) Establish and support programs for the training of professional and technical personnel as well as regional boards and community service boards;

(5) Have authority to conduct research into the causes and treatment of disability and into the means of effectively promoting mental health;

(6) Assign specific responsibility to one or more units of the division for the development of a disability prevention program. The objectives of such program shall include, but are not limited to, monitoring of completed and ongoing research related to the prevention of disability, implementation of programs known to be preventive, and testing, where practical, of those measures having a substantive potential for the prevention of disability;

(7) Assign specific responsibility to one or more units of the division for the development of programs designed to serve disabled infants, children, and youth. To the extent practicable, such units shall cooperate with the Georgia Department of Education and the University System of Georgia in developing such programs;

(8) Make and administer budget allocations to regional boards to fund the operation of mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services in accordance with approved regional programs and plans;

(9) Coordinate in consultation with providers, professionals, and other experts the development of appropriate outcome measures for client centered service delivery systems and, in conjunction with and on behalf of regional boards and other providers, evaluate the efficacy of the state, regional, and community service boards through the regular assessment of the impact of the programs upon individuals receiving treatment; (10) Establish, operate, supervise, and staff programs and facilities for the treatment of disability throughout this state;

(11) Disseminate information about available services and the facilities through which such services may be obtained;

(12) Establish within the division or under the jurisdiction of the regional boards or both a unit which shall receive and consider complaints from individuals receiving services, make recommendations to the director of the division regarding such complaints, and ensure that the rights of individuals receiving services are fully protected; and

(13) Exercise all powers and duties provided for in this title or which may be deemed necessary to effectuate the purposes of this title.