Bill Text: CT SB01089 | 2015 | General Assembly | Comm Sub
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Mental Health Services.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-06-01 - Removed from the Foot of the Calendar, Senate [SB01089 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2015-SB01089-Comm_Sub.html
General Assembly |
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January Session, 2015 |
*_____SB01089HS____042915____* |
AN ACT CONCERNING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 10-220a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2015):
(a) Each local or regional board of education shall provide an in-service training program for its teachers, administrators and pupil personnel who hold the initial educator, provisional educator or professional educator certificate. Such program shall provide such teachers, administrators and pupil personnel with information on (1) the nature and the relationship of drugs, as defined in subdivision (17) of section 21a-240, and alcohol to health and personality development, and procedures for discouraging their abuse, (2) health and mental health risk reduction education which includes, but need not be limited to, the prevention of risk-taking behavior by children and the relationship of such behavior to substance abuse, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-infection and AIDS, as defined in section 19a-581, violence, teen dating violence, domestic violence, child abuse and youth suicide, (3) the growth and development of exceptional children, including handicapped and gifted and talented children and children who may require special education, including, but not limited to, children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities, and methods for identifying, planning for and working effectively with special needs children in a regular classroom, including, but not limited to, implementation of student individualized education programs, (4) school violence prevention, conflict resolution, the prevention of and response to youth suicide and the identification and prevention of and response to bullying, as defined in subsection (a) of section 10-222d, except that those boards of education that implement any evidence-based model approach that is approved by the Department of Education and is consistent with subsection (d) of section 10-145a, sections 10-222d, 10-222g and 10-222h, subsection (g) of section 10-233c and sections 1 and 3 of public act 08-160, shall not be required to provide in-service training on the identification and prevention of and response to bullying, (5) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency life saving procedures, (6) computer and other information technology as applied to student learning and classroom instruction, communications and data management, (7) the teaching of the language arts, reading and reading readiness for teachers in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, (8) second language acquisition in districts required to provide a program of bilingual education pursuant to section 10-17f, (9) the requirements and obligations of a mandated reporter, [and] (10) the teacher evaluation and support program adopted pursuant to subsection (b) of section 10-151b, and (11) mental health first aid training, as described in section 17a-453h, as amended by this act. Each local and regional board of education may allow any paraprofessional or noncertified employee to participate, on a voluntary basis, in any in-service training program provided pursuant to this section. The State Board of Education, within available appropriations and utilizing available materials, shall assist and encourage local and regional boards of education to include: (A) Holocaust and genocide education and awareness; (B) the historical events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland; (C) African-American history; (D) Puerto Rican history; (E) Native American history; (F) personal financial management; (G) domestic violence and teen dating violence; and (H) [mental health first aid training; and (I)] topics approved by the state board upon the request of local or regional boards of education as part of in-service training programs pursuant to this subsection.
Sec. 2. Section 17a-453h of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2015):
(a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Education, shall administer a mental health first aid training program. Said program shall: (1) Help persons attending the training program recognize the signs of mental disorders in children and young adults; and (2) connect children and young adults who show signs of having a mental disorder with a professional who offers the appropriate services.
(b) Said commissioners may seek federal and state funding and may accept private donations for the administration of, and providing for persons to participate in, the mental health first aid training program.
(c) (1) For the school year commencing July 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall provide mental health first aid training to any person appointed to serve as the district safe school climate coordinator, pursuant to section 10-222k. Each such district safe school climate coordinator shall successfully complete such mental health first aid training.
(2) For the school year commencing July 1, 2015, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall provide mental health [and] first aid training to any person appointed to serve as the district safe school climate coordinator for such school year and who did not serve as the district safe school climate coordinator for the prior school year or did not otherwise successfully complete such training. Each such district safe school climate coordinator shall successfully complete such mental health first aid training.
(3) No district safe school climate coordinator shall be required to successfully complete such mental health first aid training more than once.
(d) Each local and regional board of education [may] shall require teachers, school nurses, counselors and all other school employees to participate in mental health first aid training.
(e) On and after October 1, 2015, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall provide mental health first aid training to each peace officer and employee of an emergency medical services organization, as both terms are defined in section 53a-3.
Sec. 3. Section 7-294r of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2015):
(a) On and after October 1, 2014, (1) each police basic training program conducted or administered by the Division of State Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, the Police Officer Standards and Training Council, established under section 7-294b, or a municipal police department in the state shall include a course on handling incidents involving an individual affected with a serious mental illness, and (2) each review training program conducted by such agencies shall make provisions for such a course.
(b) On and after October 1, 2015, each police basic training program described in subsection (a) of this section or a municipal police department in the state shall include mental health first aid training, in accordance with section 17a-453h, as amended by this act.
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2015) The Commissioners of Social Services, Children and Families and Mental Health and Addiction Services shall, in consultation with providers of behavioral health services, including, but not limited to, hospitals, develop and implement a program to (1) improve the provision of behavioral health services to Medicaid recipients, (2) improve the coordination of such services among health care providers, and (3) reduce costs to the state. Said commissioners shall (A) establish qualifications for participation in the program, (B) identify geographic areas in which the program shall be implemented, (C) provide payment incentives to health care providers to improve the quality and decrease the costs of such behavioral health services, and (D) develop quality standards to ensure the improvement and coordination of such behavioral health services.
Sec. 5. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2015) The Commissioner of Social Services shall submit to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services a Medicaid state plan amendment to increase the Medicaid rates for all providers of behavioral health services to equal the Medicare rates for providers of such behavioral health services.
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2015) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Social Services, shall submit to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services a Medicaid state plan amendment to expand the behavioral health homes delivery model to allow hospitals and federally qualified health centers to be designated as behavioral health homes.
Sec. 7. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2015) The Commissioners of Children and Families and Mental Health and Addiction Services shall annually report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children and public health concerning the provision of behavioral health services. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) The admission criteria, admission process and capacity for each mental health and substance abuse program administered by the Departments of Children and Families and Mental Health and Addiction Services; and (2) information for each provider of behavioral health services who receives funding from the state through a program administered by the Department of Children and Families or the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, including, but not limited to, deidentified information on: (A) The number of persons served and such persons' level of care, the number of admissions and discharges and the number of service hours and bed days, (B) the average wait times for services, (C) the primary diagnoses and demographics for persons served by such provider, (D) average lengths of stay for persons who receive inpatient services, (E) client satisfaction scores, (F) discharge delays and outcomes, and (G) recovery measures.
Sec. 8. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2015) (a) There is established within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services a grant program to provide funds to organizations that provide acute care and emergency behavioral health services. The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall establish eligibility criteria for grants under the program and an application process.
(b) Grants shall be issued under the program for the purposes of providing community-based behavioral health services, including (1) care coordination services, and (2) access to information on, and referrals to, available health care and social service programs.
Sec. 9. (Effective July 1, 2015) The sum of three million dollars is appropriated to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, for grants issued under the program established under section 8 of this act to provide community-based behavioral health services.
Sec. 10. (Effective July 1, 2015) (a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall, in consultation with the Commissioners of Children and Families and Social Services and providers of behavioral health services, including, but not limited to, hospitals, study the current utilization of, and the need for, hospital beds for acute psychiatric care. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) A determination of the number of short-term, intermediate and long-term psychiatric beds needed in each region of the state; (2) the average wait times for each type of psychiatric beds; (3) the impact of wait times on persons in need of inpatient psychiatric services, such persons' families and providers of such inpatient care; and (4) identification of public and private funding sources to maintain the number of psychiatric beds needed in the state.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2017, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to appropriations, public health and human services concerning the results of the study described in subsection (a) of this section. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, recommendations concerning: (1) Expansion of the utilization criteria to increase access to acute, inpatient psychiatric services throughout the state; (2) an increase in the number of long-term, inpatient hospitalization beds available for persons with recurring needs for inpatient behavioral health services; (3) funding to increase the number of psychiatric beds; and (4) placement of additional psychiatric beds in health care facilities throughout the state.
Sec. 11. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2015) (a) There is established within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services a grant program to provide funds to hospitals for intermediate duration acute psychiatric care services. A hospital eligible for a grant under the program shall be located in one of the three geographic regions of the state that lacks intermediate duration acute psychiatric care services. The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall establish an application process for the grant program. Any hospital meeting the eligibility criteria described in this section may apply to said program.
(b) On or before April 1, 2016, the commissioner shall award a grant to an eligible hospital in each of the three regions of the state that lacks intermediate duration acute psychiatric care services.
Sec. 12. (Effective July 1, 2015) The sum of ____ dollars is appropriated to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016, for grants issued under the program established under section 11 of this act for intermediate duration acute psychiatric care services.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: | ||
Section 1 |
July 1, 2015 |
10-220a(a) |
Sec. 2 |
July 1, 2015 |
17a-453h |
Sec. 3 |
July 1, 2015 |
7-294r |
Sec. 4 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 5 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 6 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 7 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 8 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 9 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 10 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 11 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
Sec. 12 |
July 1, 2015 |
New section |
PH |
Joint Favorable Subst. |
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HS |
Joint Favorable |