Bill Text: NY A07177 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Establishes a 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system; provides crisis intervention services and crisis care coordination to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-06-10 - substituted by s6194b [A07177 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A07177-Amended.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         7177--B

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     April 26, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  GUNTHER, FRONTUS, FERNANDEZ -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Mental Health  --  committee  discharged,
          bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted  as amended and recommitted to said
          committee -- reported and referred to the Committee on Ways and  Means
          --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
          and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to  amend  the  county  law,  in  relation  to  a  9-8-8  suicide
          prevention and mental health crisis hotline system

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
     2  the "9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Act".
     3    §  2. The county law is amended by adding a new article 6-B to read as
     4  follows:
     5                                 ARTICLE 6-B
     6            9-8-8 SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS ACT
     7  Section 340. Definitions.
     8          341. 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health  crisis  hotline
     9                 system.
    10    §  340.  Definitions.  As  used  in  this  article, unless the context
    11  requires otherwise:
    12    1. "9-8-8" shall mean the three digit phone number designated  by  the
    13  federal communications commission for the purpose of connecting individ-
    14  uals  experiencing  a  mental  health crisis with suicide prevention and
    15  mental health crisis counselors, mobile crisis teams, and crisis receiv-
    16  ing and stabilization services and other mental health  crises  services
    17  through the national suicide prevention lifeline.
    18    2.  "9-8-8  crisis  hotline  center" shall mean a state-identified and
    19  funded center participating in the National Suicide Prevention  Lifeline
    20  Network to respond to statewide or regional 9-8-8 calls.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10757-11-1

        A. 7177--B                          2

     1    3. "Crisis receiving and stabilization services" shall mean facilities
     2  providing short-term observation and crisis stabilization services under
     3  article  thirty-six  of the mental hygiene law, or other crisis services
     4  approved or licensed by the office of mental health.
     5    4.  "Mental  health professional" shall mean any of the following, but
     6  shall not be limited to:
     7    (a) a licensed clinical social  worker,  licensed  under  article  one
     8  hundred fifty-four of the education law;
     9    (b)  a  licensed  psychologist,  licensed  under  article  one hundred
    10  fifty-three of the education law;
    11    (c) a  registered  professional  nurse,  licensed  under  article  one
    12  hundred thirty-nine of the education law;
    13    (d)  a  licensed  master  social  worker,  licensed  under article one
    14  hundred fifty-four of the education law,  under  the  supervision  of  a
    15  physician, psychologist or licensed clinical social worker; and
    16    (e)  a  licensed  mental  health counselor, licensed under article one
    17  hundred sixty-three of the education law.
    18    5. "Mobile crisis teams" shall mean a team that may include,  but  not
    19  be  limited  to,  mental  health professionals, certified alcoholism and
    20  substance abuse counselors, family peer advocates, and peers, to provide
    21  onsite community-based intervention for individuals who are experiencing
    22  a mental health crisis, or an "approved  mobile  crisis  outreach  team"
    23  under article nine of the mental hygiene law.
    24    6.  "National  suicide  prevention  lifeline" or "NSPL" shall mean the
    25  national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confiden-
    26  tial emotional  support  to  people  in  suicidal  crisis  or  emotional
    27  distress  twenty-four  hours  a  day,  seven days a week via a toll-free
    28  hotline number, which receives calls made through the 9-8-8 system.  The
    29  toll-free  number  is  maintained  by the Assistant Secretary for Mental
    30  Health and Substance Use under the United  States  Substance  Abuse  and
    31  Mental Health Services Administration.
    32    7.  "Peer" shall mean an individual who is a current or former recipi-
    33  ent of mental health or substance use services who provides advocacy and
    34  mutual support for other  services  users  through  a  model  of  shared
    35  personal  experience,  who  are  employed on the basis of their personal
    36  knowledge and recovery from a mental illness, addiction,  or  both,  and
    37  who  meet the certification requirements set forth by the New York state
    38  peer specialist certification board.
    39    8. "Family peer advocates" shall mean individuals  with  lived-experi-
    40  ence  as the biological, foster, or adoptive parent or primary caregiver
    41  of a child or youth with a social, emotional, behavioral, mental health,
    42  substance use  disorder,  or  developmental  disability,  who  meet  the
    43  current  requirements  for a credentialed family peer advocate, or other
    44  certification related to culturally responsive trauma informed care.
    45    9. "Veterans crisis line" or "VCL" shall mean the veterans crisis line
    46  maintained by the secretary of veterans affairs  of  the  United  States
    47  Department of Veterans Affairs.
    48    10.  "Substance  Abuse  and  Mental  Health  Services  Administration"
    49  ("SAMHSA") shall mean the agency within the United States Department  of
    50  Health and Human Services.
    51    §  341.  9-8-8  suicide  prevention  and  mental health crisis hotline
    52  system. 1. The department of public service, in  consultation  with  the
    53  commissioners of the office of mental health and the office of addiction
    54  services  and  supports shall, on or before July sixteenth, two thousand
    55  twenty-two, designate a 9-8-8 crisis  hotline  center  or  centers  that
    56  shall  provide  suicide  prevention  and crisis intervention services to

        A. 7177--B                          3

     1  individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide  prevention  and  mental  health
     2  crisis  hotline  from anywhere within the state twenty-four hours a day,
     3  seven days a week. A designated 9-8-8 crisis hotline center  shall  meet
     4  the following requirements:
     5    (a)  Have  an  active agreement with the administrator of the National
     6  Suicide Prevention Lifeline for participation within the network.
     7    (b) Adhere to NSPL policies, requirements and  best  practices  guide-
     8  lines for operation and clinical assessment standards.
     9    (c)  Utilize  technology including chat and text that is interoperable
    10  between and across crisis and  emergency  systems  used  throughout  the
    11  state,  including  but  not limited to, 911, emergency medical services,
    12  and other nonbehavioral health crisis services, and with the administra-
    13  tor of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
    14    (d) Coordinate with 9-8-8 crisis hotline centers and 911 operators for
    15  the appropriate deployment of a mobile crisis team and/or  law  enforce-
    16  ment, and when appropriate emergency medical services or fire services.
    17    (e)(i)  The  department  of  public  service  in  conjunction with the
    18  commissioners of the office of mental health and the office of addiction
    19  services and supports shall have joint oversight of  suicide  prevention
    20  and  crisis  service activities and essential coordination with a desig-
    21  nated 9-8-8 hotline center, and shall work in concert with NSPL and  VCL
    22  networks  for  the  purposes of ensuring consistency of public messaging
    23  about 9-8-8 services.
    24    (ii) The office of mental health shall in consultation with the  local
    25  mental  hygiene  directors established under section 41.55 of the mental
    26  hygiene law,  crisis  receiving  and  stabilization  service  providers,
    27  statewide  mental  health  and  substance  use  organizations, and other
    28  stakeholders deemed appropriate by the office, shall establish  training
    29  guidelines  for  9-8-8  crisis  hotline center staff, 911 operators, and
    30  first responders, to assess callers for suicidal  risk,  provide  crisis
    31  counseling  and  crisis  intervention,  offer referrals to mental health
    32  and/or substance use  services,  and  on  providing  linguistically  and
    33  culturally competent care.
    34    (f)  Meet the requirements set forth by the NSPL for serving high risk
    35  and specialized populations including but not limited to: Black, Hispan-
    36  ic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native  American,  Alaskan  Native;
    37  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, queer, and questioning
    38  individuals; individuals with an intellectual or developmental disabili-
    39  ty;  individuals  experiencing  homelessness  or  housing   instability;
    40  members  of  rural communities; veterans; immigrants and refugees; chil-
    41  dren and youth; older adults; and religious communities as identified by
    42  the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health  Services  Administration,
    43  including training requirements and policies for transferring such call-
    44  ers  to appropriate specialized centers or subnetworks within or outside
    45  the NSPL network and for providing linguistically and culturally  compe-
    46  tent care.
    47    (g)  May provide follow-up services as needed to individuals accessing
    48  the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline consistent
    49  with guidance and policies established by the NSPL.
    50    2.  The commissioner of the office of mental health  and  the  commis-
    51  sioner  of the office of addiction services and supports shall establish
    52  a comprehensive list of reporting metrics to be included  in  an  annual
    53  report  under  this  article  on the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental
    54  health crisis hotline's usage, services and impact which shall  include,
    55  at a minimum:

        A. 7177--B                          4

     1    (a)  The  volume  of  requests  for  assistance that the 9-8-8 suicide
     2  prevention and mental health crisis hotline received;
     3    (b)  The  average  length of time taken to respond to each request for
     4  assistance, and the aggregate rates of call abandonment;
     5    (c) The types of  requests  for  assistance  that  the  9-8-8  suicide
     6  prevention and mental health crisis hotline received;
     7    (d) The number of mobile crisis teams dispatched;
     8    (e) The number of individuals engaged by mobile crisis teams including
     9  any support provided beyond the resolution of an initial crisis;
    10    (f)  The number of individuals transported by mobile crisis teams to a
    11  crisis receiving and stabilization service center or other mental health
    12  crisis service;
    13    (g) The number of such individuals transferred by mobile  crisis  team
    14  responders  to the custody of law enforcement or transported to an emer-
    15  gency room or inpatient mental health services;
    16    (h) the number of times a mobile crisis team was the  first  responder
    17  to  a mental health crisis and had to request deployment of law enforce-
    18  ment, including the reason for the request, and the outcome of  the  law
    19  enforcement response; and
    20    (i)  The  age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, and high risk
    21  category or the individual, if reasonably ascertainable, of  individuals
    22  contacted, transported, or transferred by each mobile crisis team.
    23    3.  The commissioners of the office of mental health and the office of
    24  addiction  services and supports shall submit an annual report beginning
    25  no later than December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-three and annu-
    26  ally thereafter, regarding the comprehensive list of  reporting  metrics
    27  to  the  governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of
    28  the assembly, the minority leader of the senate and the minority  leader
    29  of the assembly.
    30    4.  The  commissioner  of the office of mental health, in consultation
    31  with the commissioners of the department of taxation  and  finance,  the
    32  office  of addiction services and supports, and the department of public
    33  service, shall submit a report that details the resources  necessary  to
    34  make  the  NSPL, available, operational, and effective across the state,
    35  including an evaluation of available and new revenue sources to  support
    36  the  implementation,  staffing, and ongoing activities of 9-8-8 services
    37  that are reasonably attributed to: (a) ensuring the efficient and effec-
    38  tive routing of calls made to the NSPL to an  appropriate  9-8-8  crisis
    39  hotline center; (b) personnel and the provision of mental health, crisis
    40  outreach  and  stabilization  services directly related to the NSPL; and
    41  (c) the establishment of a trust fund for the purpose of depositing  any
    42  dedicated  revenues  collected  to create and maintain a statewide 9-8-8
    43  suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system.  The  report
    44  shall  be  submitted  on  or  before December thirty-first, two thousand
    45  twenty-one to the governor, the speaker of the assembly,  the  temporary
    46  president  of the senate, and the minority leaders of the senate and the
    47  assembly.
    48    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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