Senate File 402 - Introduced SENATE FILE 402 BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO SF 308) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the state mental health institutes at 1 Clarinda and Mount Pleasant. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2357SV (1) 86 rh/rj

S.F. 402 Section 1. CLARINDA AND MOUNT PLEASANT MENTAL HEALTH 1 INSTITUTES. 2 1. The department of human services shall accept all 3 eligible patients into the state mental health institutes at 4 Mount Pleasant and Clarinda through June 30, 2015. 5 2. The department of human services shall not close the 6 state mental health institutes at Mount Pleasant and Clarinda 7 after June 30, 2015, until a suitable and appropriate, 8 comprehensive and long-term care and treatment plan is 9 developed by the department of human services and approved 10 by the general assembly. Until such a comprehensive plan is 11 developed by the department of human services and approved by 12 the general assembly, the department shall ensure that the 13 diagnostic and treatment service needs of patients served 14 through the acute inpatient psychiatric mental health and 15 geropsychiatric programs at the state mental health institute 16 at Clarinda and through the psychiatric and substance abuse 17 recovery programs operated at the state mental health institute 18 at Mount Pleasant continue to be met at those institutes. 19 3. In developing a comprehensive plan pursuant to 20 subsection 1, the department of human services shall work with 21 key stakeholders including but not limited to the departments 22 of public health and inspections and appeals, members of the 23 general assembly, psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health 24 and drug abuse counselors, nurses, activity specialists, social 25 workers, and residential treatment workers to ensure all of the 26 following: 27 a. That each and every patient currently being served at the 28 state mental health institutes at Clarinda and Mount Pleasant 29 continues to be served during any transition period without 30 sacrificing access to and quality of treatment and care. 31 b. That clinical and professional expertise currently in 32 place at the state mental health institutes at Clarinda and 33 Mount Pleasant relating to serious mental illness including 34 geropsychiatric and co-occurring mental health and substance 35 -1- LSB 2357SV (1) 86 rh/rj 1/ 3

S.F. 402 abuse disorders is shared with other state mental health 1 institutes and community-based providers through professional 2 training and case consultation. 3 c. That recruitment, training, and staffing of direct 4 health care workers to serve as personal attendants, respite 5 care workers, home health aides, and a wide variety of other 6 direct support staff in both institutional and community-based 7 settings are adequately supported and compensated. 8 d. That appropriate funding, including Medicaid 9 reimbursement methods and transitional funding, is in place 10 prior to implementation of the comprehensive plan. 11 4. The department of human services shall be responsible 12 for identifying and securing appropriate in-state placements 13 for patients currently being served at the state mental health 14 institutes at Clarinda and Mount Pleasant equivalent to the 15 level of care each patient received through June 30, 2015. 16 EXPLANATION 17 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 18 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 19 This bill prohibits the department of human services from 20 closing the state mental health institutes at Mount Pleasant 21 and Clarinda until a suitable and appropriate comprehensive 22 and long-term care and treatment plan is developed by the 23 department and approved by the general assembly to ensure that 24 the diagnostic and treatment service needs of patients served 25 through the acute inpatient psychiatric mental health and 26 geropsychiatric programs at the state mental health institute 27 at Clarinda and the psychiatric and substance abuse recovery 28 programs operated at the state mental health institute at Mount 29 Pleasant are met. The bill requires the department to work 30 with key stakeholders to ensure that each and every patient 31 currently being served at the state mental health institutes at 32 Clarinda and Mount Pleasant continue to be served during any 33 transition period without sacrificing access to and quality of 34 treatment and care; that expertise relating to serious mental 35 -2- LSB 2357SV (1) 86 rh/rj 2/ 3

S.F. 402 illness including geropsychiatric and co-occurring mental 1 health and substance abuse disorders is shared with other state 2 mental health institutions and community-based providers; that 3 recruitment, training, and staffing of direct health care 4 workers are adequately supported and compensated; and that 5 appropriate funding, including Medicaid reimbursement methods 6 and transitional funding, is in place prior to implementation 7 of the comprehensive plan. 8 -3- LSB 2357SV (1) 86 rh/rj 3/ 3