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 Section 1 of public act 18-86 is repealed and the following 1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