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Senate Bill 371
By: Senator Strickland of the 42nd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Title 37 and Title 42 of the Official Code of Georgia, relating to mental health and
1
penal institutions, respectively, so as to establish a grant program to create peer support2
programs in hospitals; to create peer support programs for individuals in penal institutions;3
to provide for quarterly and annual reports; to provide for consultation and cooperation with4
agencies, courts, organizations, and any entity which interacts with individuals who are5
incarcerated, on parole, or on probation to establish peer mentor programs; to provide for6
rules and regulations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other7
purposes.8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:9
SECTION 1.10
Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to mental health, is amended in11
Chapter 1, relating to governing and regulation of mental health, by revising paragraph (6)12
of Code Section 37-1-20, relating to obligations of the Department of Behavioral Health and13
Developmental Disabilities, as follows:14
"(6) Establish and support programs for the training of professional and technical15
personnel and certified peer specialists,
as well as regional advisory councils and16
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community service boards. Certified peer specialists may be designated by area of focus,17
such as mental health or addictive disease, or by personnel, such as youth or parent, and18
shall include a designation for maternal mental health;"19
SECTION 2.20
Said title is further amended by revising Chapter 8, which is reserved, as follows:21
"CHAPTER 822
37-8-1.23
As used in this chapter, the term:24
(1) 'Addiction recovery support center' means a peer-led community based program25
offering nonclinical support and activities for individuals and families of individuals who26
are in recovery from substance use disorders as defined by department policy.27
(2) 'Certification training body' means an entity approved by the department to provide28
training and testing for certified peer specialists in accordance with department policies.29
(3) 'Certified peer specialist' means an individual who is trained and certified to provide30
ongoing support to individuals and families of individuals who are receiving mental31
health or substance use recovery supports and services. A certified peer specialist works32
from the perspective of his or her lived experience to help build environments conducive33
to recovery. Certified peer specialists promote hope, personal responsibility,34
empowerment, education, and self-determination in the communities served. Such term35
includes the following certified peer specialist designations recognized by the36
department:37
(A) Certified Peer Specialist-Mental Health or CPS-MH;38
(B) Certified Peer Specialist-Addictive Disease or CPS-AD;39
(C) Certified Peer Specialist-Youth or CPS-Y;40
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(D) Certified Peer Specialist-Parent or CPS-P; and41
(E) Other ancillary peer credentials, such as forensic peer mentors, which may be42
added by the department designated training entity.43
(4) 'Department' means the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental44
Disabilities and includes its duly authorized agents and designees.45
(5) 'Peer support program' means services rendered to individuals in need of support that46
are provided by a certified peer specialist. Such term includes, but is not limited to,47
individual peer recovery coaching, group peer check-ins, advocacy, mutual aid support48
groups, connection to treatment services, harm reduction services, connection to49
medication for substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder, housing support,50
transportation support, food insecurity support, acquiring identification, job placement,51
or connections to other resources within the community. Reserved.52
37-8-2.53
(a) Peer specialists working in department services are required to be certified by the54
department.55
(b) Only the department shall certify individuals who complete training and testing56
provided by certification training bodies. In addition to the training standards set by the57
department, certified peer specialists shall be required to complete continuing education58
on working in hospital settings and job readiness and workforce reentry.59
37-8-3.60
(a) In order to encourage and ensure the establishment of peer support programs for61
individuals presenting with substance use disorders in hospitals throughout this state, the62
department shall award grants, subject to appropriations from the General Assembly, to63
hospitals or local addiction recovery support centers that seek to implement such programs64
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and that demonstrate a need for financial assistance to develop the necessary infrastructure,65
including personnel and equipment.66
(b) A hospital or addiction recovery support center seeking to implement a peer support67
program for individuals presenting to hospitals with substance use disorders pursuant to68
this Code section may apply to the department for a grant, in a manner and on a form69
required by the department, and shall provide such information as the department deems70
necessary to determine if the hospital or addiction recovery support center is eligible for71
the grant.72
(c) The department may provide grants to as many hospitals or addiction recovery support73
centers as it deems appropriate, subject to appropriations, taking into consideration74
adequate geographic diversity with respect to locations.75
(d) The department shall annually prepare and submit a report to the Governor, the76
President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons77
of the House Committee on Public and Community Health and the Senate Health and78
Human Services Committee for distribution to their committee members indicating the79
total number of hospitals and addiction recovery support centers that applied for grants80
pursuant to this Code section, the number of applicants that were determined by the81
department to be eligible for such grants, the total number of grants awarded, the name and82
address of each grantee hospital or addiction recovery support center, the amount of the83
award to each grantee hospital or addiction recovery support center, and the amount of each84
award disbursed to the grantee hospital or addiction recovery support center.85
37-8-4.86
The department shall contract on an annual basis with an independent organization, entity,87
or consultant possessing expertise in the practice of peer support programs led by certified88
peer specialists for individuals presenting with substance use disorders to serve as a89
technical assistance provider for the grantees. The department, in consultation with the90
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grantees, shall review the performance of such technical assistance provider annually and91
determine whether it is appropriate to seek a different technical assistance provider or92
contract with the same technical assistance provider for the following year.93
37-8-5.94
(a) Prior to the commencement of funding for the peer support programs under Code95
Section 37-8-3, the department shall contract with an independent organization, entity, or96
consultant possessing expertise in the evaluation and quality improvement of peer support97
programs and policies to evaluate and make quality improvement recommendations on:98
(1) The effectiveness of such peer support programs in reducing criminal justice99
interactions among vulnerable individuals with substance use disorders;100
(2) The cost-effectiveness of such peer support programs, including the impact on101
spending within the public behavioral health care system on the individuals receiving102
peer support and spending within the criminal justice system on the arrest, incarceration,103
and prosecution of such individuals;104
(3) Differences in implementation of such peer support programs among the grantees and105
the impact of such differences on program outcomes;106
(4) The impact of such peer support programs on the behavioral health care system at107
large, including any unintended impacts; and108
(5) The perceptions of such peer support programs and their effectiveness among109
participating individuals, behavioral health care providers, and program staff.110
(b) As a condition for participation in the grant program, the department shall require each111
grantee to agree to share program information data with the contracted organization, entity,112
or consultant as the department may require and to make reasonable accommodation for113
such organization, entity, or consultant to have access to the grantee's site and the114
individuals served. The department shall further ensure that the contracted organization,115
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entity, or consultant is able to perform its functions consistent with all state and federal116
restrictions on the privacy of personal health information.117
(c) In contracting with the organization, entity, or consultant, the department shall require118
such organization, entity, or consultant to submit a quarterly report on the effectiveness of119
the peer support programs for individuals presenting with behavioral health conditions to120
the Governor, the chairpersons of the House Committee on Public and Community Health121
and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, and the Office of Health Strategy122
and Coordination.123
37-8-6.124
(a) The department shall adopt and prescribe rules and regulations necessary or appropriate125
to administer and carry out the grant program provided for in this chapter.126
(b) The department shall adopt and prescribe rules and regulations necessary or127
appropriate to establish a forensic peer mentor training program as provided in Article 7128
of Chapter 3 of Title 42."129
SECTION 3.130
Title 42 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to penal institutions, is amended131
in Chapter 3, relating to community supervision and transition, by adding a new article to132
read as follows:133
"ARTICLE 7134
42-3-120.135
(a) The Department of Corrections and DCS shall establish forensic peer mentor programs136
in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail.137
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(b) Such forensic peer mentor programs shall be led by individuals who are certified peer138
specialists pursuant to Chapter 8 of Title 37.139
(c) The Department of Corrections and DCS shall adopt rules and regulations necessary140
to establish such programs in every state prison, county jail, and municipal jail.141
42-3-121.142
The Department of Corrections and DCS shall consult and coordinate with agencies,143
departments, organizations, courts, and any entity which interacts with individuals who are144
incarcerated, on parole, or on probation to establish forensic peer mentor programs led by145
certified peer specialists, including, but not limited to, individuals in probation programs,146
accountability courts, day reporting centers, recovery housing or residences, and other147
mental health or drug diversion programs."148
SECTION 4.149
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.150
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