Connecticut 2020 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB00141 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	LCO No. 1357 1 of 4
4	4
5	5	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 141
6	6	February Session, 2020
7	7	LCO No. 1357
8	8
9	9
10	10	Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
11	11
12	12
13	13	Introduced by:
14	14	(PH)
15	15
16	16
17	17
18	18
19	19	AN ACT DESIGNATING THE DEPARTMENT OF MEN TAL HEALTH
20	20	AND ADDICTION SERVIC ES A SINGLE HEALTH CARE ENTITY.
21	21	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
22	22	Assembly convened:
23	23
24	24	Section 1. Section 17a-450 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
25	25	following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage): 2
26	26	(a) There shall be a Department of Mental Health and Addiction 3
27	27	Services headed by a Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction 4
28	28	Services, appointed by the Governor with the advice of the Board of 5
29	29	Mental Health and Addiction Services established pursuant to section 6
30	30	17a-456. 7
31	31	(b) For the purposes of chapter 48, the Department of Mental Health 8
32	32	and Addiction Services shall be organized to promote comprehensive, 9
33	33	client-based services in the areas of mental health treatment and 10
34	34	substance abuse treatment and to ensure the programmatic integrity 11
35	35	and clinical identity of services in each area. The department shall 12
36	36	perform the functions of: Centralized administration, planning and 13
37	37	program development; prevention and treatment programs and 14
38	38	facilities, both inpatient and outpatient, for persons with psychiatric 15 Raised Bill No. 141
39	39
40	40
41	41
42	42	LCO No. 1357 2 of 4
43	43
44	44	disabilities or persons with substance use disorders, or both; community 16
45	45	mental health centers and community or regional programs and 17
46	46	facilities providing services for persons with psychiatric disabilities or 18
47	47	persons with substance use disorders, or both; training and education; 19
48	48	and research and evaluation of programs and facilities providing 20
49	49	services for persons with psychiatric disabilities or persons with 21
50	50	substance use disorders, or both. The department shall include, but not 22
51	51	be limited to, the following divisions and facilities or their successor 23
52	52	facilities: The office of the Commissioner of Mental Health and 24
53	53	Addiction Services; Capitol Region Mental Health Center; Connecticut 25
54	54	Valley Hospital, including the Addictions Division and the General 26
55	55	Psychiatric Division of Connecticut Valley Hospital; the Whiting 27
56	56	Forensic Hospital; the Connecticut Mental Health Center; Ribicoff 28
57	57	Research Center; the Southwest Connecticut Mental Health System, 29
58	58	including the Franklin S. DuBois Center and the Greater Bridgeport 30
59	59	Community Mental Health Center; the Southeastern Mental Health 31
60	60	Authority; River Valley Services; the Western Connecticut Mental 32
61	61	Health Network; and any other state-operated facility for the treatment 33
62	62	of persons with psychiatric disabilities or persons with substance use 34
63	63	disorders, or both, but shall not include those portions of such facilities 35
64	64	transferred to the Department of Children and Families for the purpose 36
65	65	of consolidation of children's services. All department divisions and 37
66	66	facilities shall provide their patient records to the electronic health 38
67	67	record system established pursuant to subdivision (7) of subsection (c) 39
68	68	of this section. Disclosures of patient information from the electronic 40
69	69	health record system outside of the department shall be in accordance 41
70	70	with applicable federal and state law. 42
71	71	(c) The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services may: 43
72	72	(1) Solicit and accept for use any gift of money or property made by 44
73	73	will or otherwise, and any grant of money, services or property from the 45
74	74	federal government, the state or any political subdivision thereof or any 46
75	75	private source, and do all things necessary to cooperate with the federal 47
76	76	government or any of its agencies in making an application for any 48
77	77	grant; 49 Raised Bill No. 141
78	78
79	79
80	80
81	81	LCO No. 1357 3 of 4
82	82
83	83	(2) Keep records and engage in research and the gathering of relevant 50
84	84	statistics; 51
85	85	(3) Work with public or private agencies, organizations, facilities or 52
86	86	individuals to ensure the operation of the programs set forth in 53
87	87	accordance with sections 17a-75 to 17a-83, inclusive, 17a-450 to [17a-484] 54
88	88	17a-488a, inclusive, 17a-495 to 17a-528, inclusive, 17a-540 to 17a-550, 55
89	89	inclusive, 17a-560 to 17a-575, inclusive, 17a-580 to 17a-603, inclusive, 56
90	90	and 17a-615 to 17a-618, inclusive; 57
91	91	(4) Hold hearings, issue subpoenas, administer oaths, compel 58
92	92	testimony and order production of books, papers and records in the 59
93	93	performance of its duties; 60
94	94	(5) Operate trustee accounts, in accordance with procedures 61
95	95	prescribed by the Comptroller, on behalf of inpatient and outpatient 62
96	96	department clients; 63
97	97	(6) Notwithstanding [any] the provisions of sections 4-101 and 17b-64
98	98	239, [to the contrary,] establish medical reimbursement rates for 65
99	99	behavioral health services including, but not limited to, inpatient, 66
100	100	outpatient and residential services purchased by the department; [and] 67
101	101	(7) Establish and utilize an electronic health record system that allows 68
102	102	authorized department personnel to have access to patient health 69
103	103	information, including psychiatric records from any of the department's 70
104	104	divisions and facilities set forth in subsection (b) of this section for 71
105	105	purposes of (A) providing diagnosis and treatment, and (B) improving 72
106	106	the department's health care operations, as defined in 42 CFR 164.501. 73
107	107	[(7)] (8) Perform such other acts and functions as may be necessary or 74
108	108	convenient to execute the authority expressly granted to it. 75
109	109	(d) The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services is 76
110	110	designated as the lead state agency for substance abuse prevention and 77
111	111	treatment in this state, and as such is designated as the state methadone 78
112	112	authority. As the designated state methadone authority, the department 79 Raised Bill No. 141
113	113
114	114
115	115
116	116	LCO No. 1357 4 of 4
117	117
118	118	is authorized by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment of 80
119	119	the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within 81
120	120	the United States Department of Health and Human Services to exercise 82
121	121	responsibility and authority for the treatment of opiate addiction with 83
122	122	an opioid medication, and specifically for: (1) Approval of exceptions to 84
123	123	federal opioid treatment protocols in accordance with the Center for 85
124	124	Substance Abuse Treatment, (2) monitoring all opioid treatment 86
125	125	programs in the state, and (3) approval of Center for Substance Abuse 87
126	126	Treatment certification of all opioid treatment programs in the state. The 88
127	127	Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services may adopt 89
128	128	regulations in accordance with chapter 54 to carry out the provisions of 90
129	129	this subsection. 91
130	130	This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
131	131	sections:
132	132
133	133	Section 1 from passage 17a-450
134	134
135	135	Statement of Purpose:
136	136	To allow the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services to
137	137	use one electronic health record system that all clinical staff can use for
138	138	documentation across all Department of Mental Health and Addiction
139	139	Services clinics and hospitals.
140	140	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
141	141	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
142	142	underlined.]
143	143