Bill Text: NY S08769 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires the office of mental health to develop educational materials on effective discharge planning of individuals with a mental health disorder who are discharged from a hospital and provide such materials to general hospitals across the state.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2018-12-07 - SIGNED CHAP.391 [S08769 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S08769-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8769 IN SENATE May 15, 2018 ___________ Introduced by Sen. ORTT -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Develop- mental Disabilities AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to a hospital's policies and procedures regarding discharge of individuals with a mental health disorder The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 7.24 to read as follows: 3 § 7.24 Mental health disorder hospital discharge; policies and proce- 4 dures. 5 (a) The office, in consultation with the department of health, shall 6 develop or utilize existing educational materials to be provided to 7 general hospitals to disseminate to individuals with a documented mental 8 health disorder or who appear to have or be at risk for a mental health 9 disorder during discharge planning pursuant to section twenty-eight 10 hundred three-i of the public health law. Such materials shall include 11 information regarding the various types of treatment and support 12 services, including but not limited to: inpatient, outpatient treatment; 13 how to recognize the need for treatment services; information for indi- 14 viduals to determine what type and level of treatment is most appropri- 15 ate and what resources are available to individuals; and any other 16 information the commissioner and the commissioner of health deem appro- 17 priate. 18 (b) The commissioner in collaboration with the commissioner of health 19 shall assist and provide guidance for every general hospital to: 20 1. utilize existing, or in addition to current policies and proce- 21 dures, develop, maintain and disseminate, written policies and proce- 22 dures, for the identification, assessment and referral of individuals 23 with a documented mental health disorder or who appear to have or be at 24 risk for a mental health disorder; and 25 2. establish and implement training, within existing, or in addition 26 to current training programs, for all individuals licensed or certified EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD15747-01-8S. 8769 2 1 pursuant to title eight of the education law who provide direct patient 2 care regarding the policies and procedures established pursuant to this 3 section. 4 (c) If a general hospital does not directly provide mental health 5 disorder services, then the commissioner, in consultation with the 6 commissioner of health, shall provide the necessary information to refer 7 individuals in need of such services to and coordinate with mental 8 health service programs that provide such services, and have been issued 9 an operating certificate pursuant to article thirty-one of this chapter. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 11 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that the commissioner of 12 health and the commissioner of mental health shall promulgate any rules 13 and regulations necessary for the implementation of this act on or 14 before such effective date.