Connecticut 2019 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01101 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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7	5		General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1101
8	6		January Session, 2019
9	7		LCO No. 6278
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11	9
12	10		Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
13	11
14	12
15	13		Introduced by:
16	14		(PH)
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20	19		AN ACT CONCERNING AN EVALUATION OF HOSPITALS OPERATED
21	20		BY THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND AD DICTION
22	21		SERVICES.
23	22		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
24	23		Assembly convened:
25	24
26	25		Section 1. Section 1 of public act 18-86 is repealed and the following 1
27	26		is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
28	27		(a) There is established a task force to (1) review and evaluate the 3
29	28		operations, conditions, culture and finances of Connecticut Valley 4
30	29		Hospital and Whiting Forensic Hospital. Such review shall include, but 5
31	30		need not be limited to, whether such operations, conditions, culture or 6
32	31		finances have improved since Whiting Forensic Hospital's separation 7
33	32		from Connecticut Valley Hospital and its licensure and regulation by 8
34	33		the Department of Public Health, (2) evaluate the feasibility of creating 9
35	34		an independent, stand-alone office of inspector general that shall be 10
36	35		responsible for providing ongoing, independent oversight of 11
37	36		Connecticut Valley Hospital and Whiting Forensic Hospital, including, 12
38	37		but not limited to, receiving and investigating complaints concerning 13
39		-	employees of Connecticut Valley Hospital and Whiting Forensic 14
40		-	Hospital, (3) examine complaints and any other reports of 15 Raised Bill No. 1101
	38	+	employees of Connecticut Valley Hospital and Whiting Forensic 14 Raised Bill No. 1101
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	44	+	Hospital, (3) examine complaints and any other reports of 15
47	45		discriminatory employment practices at said hospitals, except any 16
48	46		information or documentation not subject to disclosure under the 17
49	47		Freedom of Information Act, as defined in section 1-200 of the general 18
50	48		statutes or any other federal or state confidentiality law, (4) assess the 19
51	49		implications of a patient of Whiting Forensic Hospital being permitted 20
52	50		to be present during a search of his or her possessions, (5) evaluate the 21
53	51		membership of the advisory board for Whiting Forensic Hospital 22
54	52		established pursuant to section 17a-565 of the general statutes, as 23
55	53		amended by [this act] public act 18-86, (6) examine the role of the 24
56	54		Psychiatric Security Review Board established pursuant to section 17a-25
57	55		581 of the general statutes, (7) evaluate the need to conduct a 26
58	56		confidential survey regarding the employee work environment at 27
59	57		Connecticut Valley Hospital and Whiting Forensic Hospital, including, 28
60	58		but not limited to, worker morale, management and any incidences of 29
61	59		bullying, intimidation or retribution, and (8) review the statutory 30
62	60		definitions of abuse and neglect in the behavioral health context. 31
63	61		(b) The task force shall consist of the following members: 32
64	62		(1) Two appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 33
65	63		one of whom shall be a senior administrator of a behavioral health 34
66	64		facility, and one of whom shall have law enforcement or corrections 35
67	65		experience or experience working in a secured facility; 36
68	66		(2) Two appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one 37
69	67		of whom shall be a psychologist or psychiatrist with forensic 38
70	68		experience, and one of whom shall be a person who has lived with or 39
71	69		experienced mental illness; 40
72	70		(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 41
73	71		Representatives, who shall be a former or current administrator of a 42
74	72		hospital with a bed capacity of at least two hundred; 43
75	73		(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who shall be 44
76		-	a patient advocate; 45
77		-	(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 46 Raised Bill No. 1101
	74	+	a patient advocate; 45 Raised Bill No. 1101
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	80	+	(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 46
84	81		Representatives, who shall have experience providing direct care 47
85	82		services to persons with behavioral health disorders; and 48
86	83		(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who shall 49
87	84		have experience providing direct care services at a hospital. 50
88	85		(c) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than 51
89	86		thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be 52
90	87		filled by the appointing authority. 53
91	88		(d) The chairperson of the task force shall be selected from among 54
92	89		its members. Such chairperson shall schedule the first meeting of the 55
93	90		task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the 56
94	91		effective date of this section. 57
95	92		(e) Any employee of Connecticut Valley Hospital or Whiting 58
96	93		Forensic Hospital offering testimony before the task force shall be 59
97	94		permitted to testify, at such employee's request, without the presence 60
98	95		of any task force member who is an employee of Whiting Forensic 61
99	96		Hospital or Connecticut Valley Hospital. 62
100	97		[(e)] (f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of 63
101	98		the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public 64
102	99		health shall serve as administrative staff of the task force. 65
103	100		[(f)] (g) In performing its review and evaluation under subsection 66
104	101		(a) of this section, the task force may hold a public forum, which shall 67
105	102		provide opportunity for public comment. 68
106	103		[(g)] (h) Not later than January 1, [2019] 2020, the task force shall 69
107	104		submit a preliminary report, in accordance with the provisions of 70
108	105		section 11-4a of the general statutes, on its findings and 71
109	106		recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General 72
110	107		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health. Not 73
111	108		later than January 1, [2021] 2022, the task force shall submit a final 74
112		-	report on its findings and recommendations to said joint standing 75
113		-	committee. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits 76 Raised Bill No. 1101
	109	+	report on its findings and recommendations to said joint standing 75 Raised Bill No. 1101
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	115	+	committee. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits 76
120	116		such final report or January 1, [2021] 2022, whichever is later. 77
121	117		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
122	118		sections:
123	119
124	120		Section 1 from passage PA 18-86, Sec. 1
125	121
126		-	PH Joint Favorable
	122	+	Statement of Purpose:
	123	+	To require a review of any improvements to the operations, conditions,
	124	+	culture and finances of Whiting Forensic Hospital and Connecticut
	125	+	Valley Hospital.
	126	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
	127	+	except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
	128	+	not underlined.]
127	129