House File 2493 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
(SUCCESSOR TO HSB 630)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to mental health and disability services
2 provisions involving the membership of the mental health,
3 mental retardation, developmental disabilities, and brain
4 injury commission and providing for implementation of an
5 emergency mental health crisis services system.
6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
7 TLSB 5362HV 82
8 jp/rj/24
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 225C.5, subsection 1, Code 2007, is
1 2 amended by adding the following new paragraph:
1 3 NEW PARAGRAPH. ii. One member shall be an active board
1 4 member of an agency serving persons with a substance abuse
1 5 problem selected from nominees submitted by the Iowa
1 6 behavioral health association.
1 7 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 225C.19 EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH
1 8 CRISIS SERVICES SYSTEM.
1 9 1. For the purposes of this section:
1 10 a. "Emergency mental health crisis services provider"
1 11 means a provider accredited or approved by the department to
1 12 provide emergency mental health crisis services.
1 13 b. "Emergency mental health crisis services system" or
1 14 "services system" means a coordinated array of crisis services
1 15 for providing a response to assist an individual adult or
1 16 child who is experiencing a mental health crisis or who is in
1 17 a situation that is reasonably likely to cause the individual
1 18 to have a mental health crisis unless assistance is provided.
1 19 2. a. The division shall implement an emergency mental
1 20 health crisis services system in accordance with this section.
1 21 b. The purpose of the services system is to provide a
1 22 statewide array of time=limited intervention services to
1 23 reduce escalation of crisis situations, relieve the immediate
1 24 distress of individuals experiencing a crisis situation,
1 25 reduce the risk of individuals in a crisis situation doing
1 26 harm to themselves or others, and promote timely access to
1 27 appropriate services for those who require ongoing mental
1 28 health services.
1 29 c. The services system shall be available twenty=four
1 30 hours per day, seven days per week to any individual who is
1 31 determined by self or others to be in a crisis situation,
1 32 regardless of whether the individual has been diagnosed with a
1 33 mental illness or a co=occurring mental illness and substance
1 34 abuse disorder, and shall address all ages, income levels, and
1 35 health coverage statuses.
2 1 d. The goals of an intervention offered by a provider
2 2 under the services system shall include but are not limited to
2 3 symptom reduction, stabilization of the individual receiving
2 4 the intervention, and restoration of the individual to a
2 5 previous level of functioning.
2 6 e. The elements of the services system shall be specified
2 7 in administrative rules adopted by the commission.
2 8 3. The services system elements shall include but are not
2 9 limited to all of the following:
2 10 a. Standards for accrediting or approving emergency mental
2 11 health crisis services providers. Such providers may include
2 12 but are not limited to a community mental health center, a
2 13 provider approved in a waiver adopted by the commission to
2 14 provide services to a county in lieu of a community mental
2 15 health center, a unit of the department or other state agency,
2 16 a county, or any other public or private provider who meets
2 17 the accreditation or approval standards for an emergency
2 18 mental health crisis services provider.
2 19 b. Identification by the division of geographic regions,
2 20 service areas, or other means of distributing and organizing
2 21 the emergency mental health crisis services system to ensure
2 22 statewide availability of the services.
2 23 c. Coordination of emergency mental health crisis services
2 24 with all of the following:
2 25 (1) The district and juvenile courts.
2 26 (2) Law enforcement.
2 27 (3) Judicial district departments of correctional
2 28 services.
2 29 (4) County central point of coordination processes.
2 30 (5) Other mental health, substance abuse, and co=occurring
2 31 mental illness and substance abuse services available through
2 32 the state and counties to serve both children and adults.
2 33 d. Identification of basic services to be provided through
2 34 each accredited or approved emergency mental health crisis
2 35 services provider which may include but are not limited to
3 1 face=to=face crisis intervention, stabilization, support,
3 2 counseling, preadmission screening for individuals who may
3 3 require psychiatric hospitalization, transportation, and
3 4 follow=up services.
3 5 e. Identification of operational requirements for
3 6 emergency mental health crisis services provider accreditation
3 7 or approval which may include providing a telephone hotline,
3 8 mobile crisis staff, collaboration protocols, follow=up with
3 9 community services, information systems, and competency=based
3 10 training.
3 11 4. The division shall initially implement the program
3 12 through a competitive block grant process. The implementation
3 13 shall be limited to the extent of the appropriations provided
3 14 for the program.
3 15 EXPLANATION
3 16 This bill relates to mental health and disability services
3 17 provisions involving the membership of the mental health,
3 18 mental retardation, developmental disabilities, and brain
3 19 injury commission membership and provides for implementation
3 20 of new mental health services provisions.
3 21 Code section 225C.5 is amended to provide for
3 22 representation on the commission for agencies serving persons
3 23 with a substance abuse problem.
3 24 New Code section 225C.19 provides for establishment of an
3 25 emergency mental health crisis services system through the
3 26 division of mental health and disability services of the
3 27 department of human services. The purpose of the system is to
3 28 provide a statewide array of time=limited services to reduce
3 29 escalation of mental health crisis situations, relieve the
3 30 immediate distress of individuals experiencing a crisis
3 31 situation, reduce the risk of individuals in a crisis
3 32 situation doing harm to themselves or others, and promote
3 33 timely access to appropriate services for those who require
3 34 ongoing mental health services.
3 35 The system's general requirements are outlined in new Code
4 1 section 225C.19, including definitions, purpose, statewide
4 2 availability, goals, required elements, and initial
4 3 implementation through competitive block grants.
4 4 LSB 5362HV 82
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