HF 630 (LSB 1630YH (6) 88)

HOUSE FILE 630

BY  M. SMITH, ABDUL-SAMAD, ANDERSON, BEARINGER, BENNETT, BRECKENRIDGE, BROWN-POWERS, COHOON, DERRY, DONAHUE, EHLERT, FORBES, GAINES, GASKILL, HALL, HEDDENS, HUNTER, ISENHART, JACOBY, JAMES, JUDGE, KACENA, KONFRST, KRESSIG, KURTH, KURTZ, LENSING, MASCHER, MATSON, McCONKEY, B. MEYER, NIELSEN, OLDSON, OURTH, PRICHARD, RUNNING-MARQUARDT, R. SMITH, STAED, STECKMAN, SUNDE, THEDE, WESSEL-KROESCHELL, WILLIAMS, WINCKLER, and WOLFE

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to mental health supports and services for children and adults, including the establishment of a mental health professional fellowship program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 135.175, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  A health care workforce support initiative is established to provide for the coordination and support of various efforts to address the health care workforce shortage in this state. This initiative shall include the medical residency training state matching grants program created in section 135.176, the mental health professional fellowship program created in section 135.177, the nurse residency state matching grants program created in section 135.178, and the fulfilling Iowa’s need for dentists matching grant program created in section 135.179.
    Sec. 2.  Section 135.175, subsection 5, Code 2019, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
   NEW PARAGRAPH.  e.  The mental health professional fellowship program account. The mental health professional fellowship program account shall be under the control of the department and the moneys in the account shall be used for the purposes of the mental health professional fellowship program as specified in section 135.177. Moneys in the account shall consist of moneys appropriated or allocated for deposit in or received by the fund or the account and specifically dedicated to the mental health professional fellowship program or the account for the purposes of the account.
    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  135.177  Mental health professional fellowship program.
   1.  For the purposes of this section, “mental health professional shortage area” means a geographic area in this state that has been designated by the United States department of health and human services, health resources and services administration, bureau of health professionals, as having a shortage of mental health professionals.
   2.  The department, in cooperation with the college student aid commission, shall establish a mental health professional fellowship program in accordance with this section. Funding for the program may be provided through the health care workforce shortage fund or the mental health professional fellowship program account created in section 135.175. The purpose of the program is to determine the effect of specialized training and support for mental health professionals in providing mental health services to address Iowa’s shortage of mental health professionals.
   3.  The program shall provide for all of the following:
   a.  Collaboration between Iowa institutions of higher education and mental health professional programs to educate mental health professionals.
   b.  Elderly, youth, and general population clinical experiences, with a primary emphasis on youth clinical experiences and a secondary emphasis on elderly and general population clinical experiences.
   c.  Supervision of students participating in the program provided by Iowa institutions of higher education and other clinical partners participating in the program.
   4.  A contract for the program shall stipulate the time period the mental health professional shall practice in a mental health professional shortage area in this state. In addition, the contract shall stipulate that the mental health professional repay any funds paid on the mental health professional’s behalf by the program if the mental health professional is unable to fulfill the time period in the contract.
   5.  State and private entity clinical partners shall regularly evaluate and document their experiences with the approaches utilized and outcomes achieved by the program to identify an optimal model for operating the program. The evaluation process shall include but is not limited to identifying ways the program’s clinical and training components could be modified to facilitate other students and practicing mental health professionals specializing as mental health professionals.
    Sec. 4.  Section 135H.3, subsection 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  A psychiatric medical institution for children shall utilize a team of professionals to direct an organized program of diagnostic services, psychiatric services, nursing care, and rehabilitative services to meet the needs of residents in accordance with a medical care plan developed for each resident. The membership of the team of professionals may shall include but is not limited to an advanced registered nurse practitioner or a physician assistant mental health professionals. Social Psychiatric, social, and rehabilitative services shall be provided under the direction of by a qualified mental health professional.
    Sec. 5.  Section 225C.52, subsection 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  Establishing a comprehensive community-based mental health services system for children and youth is part of fulfilling the requirements of the division and the commission to facilitate a comprehensive, continuous, and integrated state mental health and disability services plan in accordance with sections 225C.4, 225C.6, and 225C.6A, and other provisions of this chapter. The purpose of establishing the children’s system is to improve access for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and youth with other qualifying mental health disorders to mental health treatment, services, and other support in the least restrictive setting possible so the children and youth can live with their families and remain in their communities. The children’s system is also intended to meet the needs of children and youth who have mental health disorders that co-occur with substance abuse, intellectual disability, developmental disabilities, or other disabilities. The children’s system shall emphasize community-level collaborative efforts between children and youth and the families and the state’s systems of education, child welfare, juvenile justice, health care, substance abuse, and mental health.  The children’s system shall ensure the children and youth served are provided treatment by a mental health professional as defined in section 228.1 or a person who has obtained an advanced degree that will qualify the person as a mental health professional following a period of professional supervision.
    Sec. 6.  NEW SECTION.  279.70A  Suicide prevention committee.
   1.  The board of directors of a school district shall require all schools in the school district to develop suicide prevention committees. Each suicide prevention committee shall include a mental health professional, a parent or guardian, a current student of the public school, and a member of the clergy of a religious denomination within the school district.
   2.  A suicide prevention committee shall perform all of the following duties:
   a.  Collect, review, and analyze the circumstances related to the suicide of a child in the school district.
   b.  Recommend to the school district suicide and postvention services to be offered to students and school personnel. For purposes of this paragraph, “postvention” means the same as defined in section 256.7, subsection 33.
   c.  Assist all school districts following the suicide of a child.
   d.  Develop strategies to increase awareness for increased child suicide attempts after a child’s suicide in the school district.
    Sec. 7.  NEW SECTION.  279.70B  Children’s mental health services.
   The board of directors of a school district may develop and implement mental health services at each attendance center in the district. The school district may coordinate with mental health professionals within the school district to provide services at the attendance center for students who are in need of mental health services.
    Sec. 8.  ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES.  The departments of human services and public health shall develop information related to the identification of adverse childhood experiences. The information shall be distributed to the board of directors of a school district for distribution during required training pursuant to section 279.70. The departments shall provide support services to a school district following media reports relating to adverse childhood experiences impacting ten or more children within the school district or a report of a suicide of a child from the school district.
    Sec. 9.  CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION —— DISTRIBUTION.  The department of public health shall develop information relating to the identification of the early signs and symptoms of mental health concerns in children and shall coordinate with existing statewide mental health hotlines to distribute the information to members of the public utilizing telephone and text messaging systems.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill relates to mental health supports and services for children and adults, including the establishment of a mental health professional fellowship program.
   MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AND ACCOUNT. The bill requires the department of public health, in cooperation with the college student aid commission, to establish a mental health professional fellowship program. The purpose of the program is to determine the effect of specialized training and support for mental health professionals in providing mental health services to address Iowa’s shortage of mental health professionals. The bill requires the program to provide for collaboration between Iowa institutions of higher education and mental health professional programs to educate mental health professionals; elderly, youth, and general population clinical experiences, with a primary emphasis on youth clinical experiences and a secondary emphasis on elderly and general population clinical experiences; and supervision of students in the program by Iowa institutions of higher education and other clinical partners. The bill provides that a contract for the program shall stipulate the time period the mental health professional shall practice in a mental health professional shortage area in this state. In addition, the contract shall stipulate that the mental health professional repay any funds paid on the mental health professional’s behalf by the program if the mental health professional is unable to fulfill the time period in the contract. The bill provides that state and private entity clinical partners are required to regularly evaluate and document their experiences with the approaches utilized and outcomes achieved by the program to identify an optimal model for operating the program. The evaluation process is required to include but is not limited to identifying the ways the program’s clinical and training components could be modified to facilitate other students and practicing mental health professionals specializing as mental health professionals.
   Current Code section 135.175 establishes a health care workforce support initiative to provide for the coordination and support of various efforts to address the health care workforce shortage in Iowa. The initiative includes the medical residency training state matching grants program; the nurse residence state matching grants program; and the fulfilling Iowa’s need for dentists matching grant program. The bill provides the health care workforce support initiative shall also provide coordination and support to the mental health professional fellowship program.
   CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. Under current Code, a psychiatric medical institution for children (PMIC) shall utilize a team of professionals to direct an organized program of diagnostic services, psychiatric services, nursing care, and rehabilitative services to meet the needs of residents in accordance with a medical care plan developed for each resident. The membership of the team may include an advanced registered nurse practitioner or a physician assistant. Social and rehabilitative services shall be provided under the direction of a qualified mental health professional. The bill amends current law to provide the membership of a PMIC team of professionals shall include but is not limited to mental health professionals. The bill also provides that psychiatric, social, and rehabilitative services shall be provided by a mental health professional.
   Current Code section 225C.52 establishes the purpose for the community-based mental health services system for children and youth. The bill amends the purpose to provide that the children’s system shall ensure that the children and youth served are provided treatment by a mental health professional or by a person who holds an advanced degree that will qualify the person as a mental health professional following a required period of supervision.
   The bill provides the board of directors of a school district may develop and implement mental health services for students at each attendance center in the district. The bill provides the school district may coordinate with mental health professionals within the school district to provide services at the attendance center for students who are in need of mental health services.
   SUICIDE PREVENTION COMMITTEES. The bill directs the board of directors of a school district to require all schools in the school district to develop suicide prevention committees. Each committee shall include a mental health professional, a parent or guardian, a current student of the public school, and a member of the clergy of a religious denomination in the school district.
   A suicide prevention committee is required to collect, review, and analyze the circumstances related to the suicide of a child in the school district, recommend to the school district suicide prevention and postvention services to be offered to students and school personnel, assist school districts following the suicide of a child, and develop strategies to increase awareness for increased child suicide attempts after a child’s suicide in the school district.
   ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES. The bill requires the departments of human services and public health to develop information related to the identification of adverse childhood experiences. The departments are required to distribute such information to the board of directors of a school district for distribution during required training pursuant to Code section 279.70 (relating to training on suicide prevention, adverse childhood experiences identification, and toxic stress response mitigation strategies for school personnel). The bill requires the departments to provide support services to a school district following media reports relating to adverse childhood experiences impacting 10 or more children within the school district or a report of a suicide of a child from the school district.
   CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH INFORMATION —— DISTRIBUTION. The bill requires the department of public health to develop information relating to the identification of the early signs and symptoms of mental health concerns in children and to coordinate with existing statewide mental health hotlines to distribute the information to members of the public utilizing telephone and text messaging systems.