Bill Text: NJ A1564 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Adds postpartum depression services to State's behavioral health crisis services system.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A1564 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A1564-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman VICTORIA A. FLYNN
District 13 (Monmouth)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblymen Auth, Scharfenberger and Assemblywoman Dunn
SYNOPSIS
Adds postpartum depression services to State's behavioral health crisis services system.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning postpartum depression and amending P.L.2022, c.35.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2022, c.35 (C.26:2MM-5) is amended to read as follows:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. The current health care system in New Jersey does not always fully address the specific needs of people with behavioral health issues, including mental health conditions, postpartum depression, and substance use disorders.
b. Frequently, people with behavioral health issues are compelled to access care through primary care providers or hospital emergency departments, neither of which are typically equipped to handle the specialized care needed by people with behavioral health issues. Often, people are discharged from these treatment settings without receiving the care or referrals to services needed to treat the individual's particular behavioral health condition.
c. Similarly, law enforcement are frequently called upon to respond to acute behavioral health crises. In many cases, the responding law enforcement officers do not possess the specialized training needed to respond to an acute behavioral health crisis, and so are not equipped to adequately assess the situation, de-escalate and resolve the immediate crisis, and access appropriate behavioral health care services.
d. Historically, the lack of a comprehensive behavioral health crisis response system has placed marginalized communities, including those experiencing mental health crises, at disproportionate risk of poor outcomes.
e. When a behavioral health condition is not appropriately treated by a qualified behavioral health specialist, the condition may worsen over time. In some cases, such as with an individual who has a substance use disorder, the longer the person goes without appropriate treatment, the greater the risk the person will experience a fatal overdose, contract a bloodborne virus and other communicable diseases, or experience other adverse health consequences resulting from the person's continuing substance use. In cases involving a person experiencing suicide ideation, the longer the person goes without treatment, the greater the risk the person will engage in self-harm.
f. Additionally, untreated behavioral health conditions can significantly detract from the quality of life of the person with the behavioral health condition and the person's family and friends, who frequently feel helpless watching a loved one struggle with the burdens of an untreated mental health condition, postpartum depression, or substance use disorder.
g. Steps have been taken at both the State and federal level to better meet the needs of people with behavioral health conditions. At the federal level, the "National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020," Pub.L.116-172, and rules adopted by the Federal Communication Commission's on July 16, 2020 take steps to improve access to crisis resources through a dedicated hotline, similar to 9-1-1, specific to behavioral health crises. At the State level, New Jersey has taken steps to improve access to behavioral health care by streamlining the process for dual licensure for primary and behavioral health care providers, issuing licenses for additional treatment beds, promoting measures to improve access to substance use disorder treatment and support services, and working to expand ready access to behavioral health treatment providers for all New Jerseyans.
h. It is now necessary for New Jersey to take the steps required to implement the new national behavioral health crisis hotline in this State.
i. It is the intent of the Legislature to support the operations of the national behavioral health crisis hotline in the State, and foster improved behavioral health treatment resources, through the establishment of a comprehensive Statewide mobile behavioral health crisis response system, the goals of which will be: improving access to, and the quality of, behavioral health crisis services through, among other measures, a "no wrong door" model of access; reducing the stigma associated with suicide, mental health conditions, postpartum depression, and substance use disorders; improving equity in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions, postpartum depression, and substance use disorders; promoting equity in services for all individuals, regardless of cultural background, race, age, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation; promoting full access to behavioral health care services across rural, urban, and tribal communities; and ensuring a culturally and linguistically competent response to behavioral health crises.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.35, s.1)
2. Section 2 of P.L.2022, c.35 (C.26:2MM-6) is amended to read as follows:
2. a. No later than six months after the effective date of this act, the Commissioner of Human Services shall conduct a public solicitation and procurement process to contract for the services of one or more crisis hotline centers to provide crisis intervention services and crisis care coordination to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide prevention, postpartum depression, and behavioral health crisis hotline. In contracting for the services of crisis hotline centers pursuant to this subsection, the commissioner shall ensure that the selected centers will provide a comprehensive, Statewide network of access 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
b. The commissioner shall not contract with a crisis hotline center pursuant to subsection a. of this section unless the center meets the standards of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and participates in, or has the demonstrated ability to obtain an agreement with, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline network.
c. A contracted crisis hotline center shall be responsible for receiving 9-8-8 calls and providing crisis intervention services to 9-8-8 callers, including, as appropriate:
(1) requesting the dispatch of mobile crisis teams;
(2) coordinating crisis care responses and interventions;
(3) referring callers to crisis stabilization services; and
(4) providing, or facilitating and coordinating, the provision of appropriate follow-up services.
d. To the extent possible, and when it would not interfere with responding to an emergency, a contracted crisis hotline center shall attempt to ascertain whether a 9-8-8 caller has children. If the caller has children and the center deems it appropriate, the center shall make a referral to services offered by the Department of Children and Families such as the Children's System of Care or any other referral agency, as appropriate.
e. A contracted crisis hotline center shall comply with all standards, operational and equipment requirements, training and qualification requirements for crisis hotline center staff, requirements concerning geolocation capacity, best practices, and other standards and requirements as are established under the "National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020," Pub.L.116-172, as are established under rules and regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission, as applicable, and by any other federal authority having jurisdiction, and as are established under rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner of Human Services.
f. The commissioner shall collaborate with other State executive branch departments, offices, and agencies to ensure full communication, information sharing, and coordination among crisis and emergency response systems throughout the State for the purpose of ensuring real-time crisis care coordination including, but not limited to, the deployment of linked, flexible services specific to each crisis response. Executive branch departments, offices, and agencies shall issue any waivers as shall be necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection.
g. (1) The commissioner shall collaborate with appropriate behavioral health care providers in the State, including, but not limited to, mental health, postpartum depression, and substance use disorder treatment providers, local community mental health centers, community-based and hospital emergency departments, and inpatient psychiatric settings, to ensure the coordination of service linkages with contracted hotline centers and mobile crisis response teams and the provision of crisis stabilization services and follow-up services, as appropriate, following the crisis response for a 9-8-8 caller.
(2) The commissioner shall establish agreements and information sharing procedures, as appropriate, with behavioral health care providers as shall be necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection. Such information sharing procedures shall include, but not be limited to, the sharing of information concerning the availability of services provided by a behavioral health care provider.
h. The commissioner shall develop an informational campaign to promote awareness of the nature and availability of the 9-8-8 hotline to respond to behavioral health crises. The commissioner shall consult with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Veterans Crisis Line networks to foster consistency in public messaging concerning 9-8-8 services.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.35, s.2)
3. Section 5 of P.L.2022, c.35 (C.26:2MM-9) is amended to read as follows:
5. a. The Commissioner of Human Services, in consultation with the State Treasurer, the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services, and the Attorney General, shall conduct a study concerning the implementation of the 9-8-8 suicide prevention, postpartum depression, and behavioral health crisis hotline and shall prepare a report:
(1) detailing the resources necessary to make the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline available, operational, and effective Statewide, including an evaluation of available and new revenue sources to support the implementation, staffing, and ongoing activities of 9-8-8 services that are reasonably attributed to implementing the provisions of section 2 of this act; and
(2) assessing if the implementation of a fee, as permitted pursuant to the "National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020," Pub.L.116-172, is necessary to support the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline and, if the fee is determined to be necessary, making recommendations on the amount of the fee, the manner in which the fee will be collected, and the establishment of a special account to serve as a repository for monies dedicated to the implementation of the hotline system.
b. In conducting the study and preparing the report required pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the Commissioner of Human Services shall solicit public comments and may hold public hearings at such times and places as the commissioner deems appropriate. The Commissioner of Human Services shall submit the report required under this section to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, no later than April 1, 2023.
(cf: P.L.2022, c.35, s.5)
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill adds postpartum depression services to the State's behavioral health crisis services system.
P.L.2022, c.35 established the State's behavioral health crisis services system, which included the establishment of the 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 9-8-8 behavioral health crisis hotline. This bills amends P.L.2022, c.35 to ensure that the State's behavioral health crisis services system includes services for women suffering from postpartum depression.
