Bill Text: CT HB06684 | 2013 | General Assembly | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: An Act Concerning The Establishment Of An Intake, Referral And Intervention System Relating To The Provision And Delivery Of Mental Health Services.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2013-05-14 - Referred by House to Committee on Appropriations [HB06684 Detail]

Download: Connecticut-2013-HB06684-Comm_Sub.html

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General Assembly		Raised Bill No. 6684
January Session, 2013		LCO No. 5009
		*_____HB06684JUD___041913____*
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)

AN ACT CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INTAKE, REFERRAL AND INTERVENTION SYSTEM RELATING TO THE PROVISION AND DELIVERY OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2013) (a) Not later than January 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall establish an intake, referral and intervention system that shall be accessible to any person (1) who is eligible for services from the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and (2) whose treatment history reflects that (A) his or her mental health treatment needs have not been adequately addressed by his or her service delivery system, and (B) he or she has not remained actively engaged in receiving needed mental health treatment services.

(b) When designing the intake, referral and intervention system, the commissioner shall:

(1) Assign, in collaboration with the Probate Court Administrator, department staff to attend probate court proceedings in the probate districts serving the cities of Hartford, New Haven and Middletown, and such other probate districts as determined by the commissioner. Assigned department staff shall meet with any person eligible for the services made available through the intake, referral and intervention system and link such person to housing services, peer support services and such other services as may be appropriate for his or her needs;

(2) Develop and implement a peer support program that (A) promotes ongoing intervention with persons who have not consistently engaged in obtaining mental health treatment services, in order to establish supportive relationships that continue after such persons are discharged from a hospital or treatment facility, and (B) extends to persons in the community who have not consistently engaged in obtaining mental health treatment services, in order to establish supportive relationships for such persons and link such persons to services that are appropriate to their circumstances;

(3) Expand access to housing alternatives, by utilizing the Housing First model for persons who have a history of refusing mental health services in combination with outreach and services provided by assertive community treatment teams;

(4) Promote expanded access to respite services as an alternative to emergency room and hospital-based services; and

(5) Collaborate with service providers and mental health treatment advocates to increase awareness about the use of advance directives by persons who receive services from the department and provide referral services to such persons relating to the preparation of such advance directives.

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1	July 1, 2013	New section

JUD

Joint Favorable