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Regular Session, 2014
SENATE BILL NO. 539
BY SENATORS NEVERS, BUFFINGTON, DORSEY-COLOMB AND ERDEY
MENTAL HEALTH. Provides relative to suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and
management training for certain professions. (8/1/14)
AN ACT1
To enact Chapter 1-B of Title 37 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised2
of R.S. 37:24 through 27, relative to suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and3
management training for certain professionals; to provide relative to the Department4
of Health and Hospitals posting on the department's official website a link to these5
training programs; to provide relative to continuing education; to provide for certain6
definitions, terms, conditions, and procedures; and to provide for related matters.7
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:8
Section 1. Chapter 1-B of Title 37 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,9
comprised of R.S. 37:24 through 27, is hereby enacted to read as follows: 10
CHAPTER 1-B. SUICIDE ASSESSMENT, INTERVENTION, TREATMENT,11
AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING12
§24. Licensing provisions; professionals13
A. In recognition of the state of Louisiana's goal in reducing the number14
of suicides and suicide attempts each year in Louisiana, beginning January 1,15
2015, the Department of Health and Hospitals shall offer each of the following16
professionals certified, licensed, or registered in Louisiana access to certain17 SB NO. 539
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training in suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and management1
through posting links to such training on the department's official website:2
(1) A mental health counselor certified or licensed under R.S. 37:11013
et seq.4
(2) A social worker certified or licensed under R.S. 37:2701 et seq.5
(3) A physician certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1261 et seq.6
(4) A psychiatrist certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1261 et seq.7
(5) A psychologist certified or licensed under R.S. 37:2351 et seq.8
(6) A medical psychologist certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1360.519
et seq.10
(7) A nurse certified or licensed under R.S. 37:911 et seq.11
(8) A physician assistant certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1360.21 et12
seq.13
(9) An addiction counselor certified or licensed under R.S. 37:3386 et14
seq.15
B. The training offered via online access by the department under this16
Chapter may be such that it is offered in either continuous multi-hour blocks17
or spread over shorter training sessions.18
§25. Continuing education19
A. The disciplining authorities over the professions listed in R.S.20
37:24(A), at each board's discretion, may approve the hours spent completing21
training in suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and management under22
this Chapter as hours that may count toward meeting any applicable continuing23
education or continuing competency requirements for each profession.24
B. Obtaining any training offered via department website links under25
this Chapter shall not be construed to establish a legal basis for negligence or26
the standard of care or duty of care owed by a health care professional to a27
patient in any civil action for medical malpractice.28
§26. Model list of training programs; development29 SB NO. 539
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A. The secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals shall1
develop a list of available programs providing training in suicide assessment,2
intervention, treatment, and management. In developing such a list, the3
secretary shall consider the suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and4
management training programs listed on the best practices registry of the5
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention6
Resource Center.7
B. On or before January 1, 2015, the secretary shall make available on8
the department's official website online access to its list developed under this9
Section and, where possible, links to training programs on the department's list.10
At the secretary's discretion, the department may also list on its official website11
where and when such training programs may be available for attendance in12
person in the state of Louisiana. At the discretion of each board, the13
disciplining authorities may provide links on their official board websites to the14
training programs linked on the department's official website.15
C. Nothing in this Chapter may be interpreted to expand or limit the16
scope of practice of any profession regulated under Title 37 of the Louisiana17
Revised Statutes of 1950.18
§27. Definitions19
As used in this Chapter, the following definitions shall apply:20
(1) "Disciplining authority" means the specific professional licensing or21
certifying board that is referenced by statute in R.S. 37:24(A) as certifying or22
licensing each profession included in the training access offered under this23
Chapter.24
(2) "Training in suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and25
management" means empirically supported training that contains the following26
elements: suicide assessment, including screening and referral, suicide27
intervention, suicide treatment, and suicide management.28 SB NO. 539
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The original instrument was prepared by Julie J. Baxter. The following
digest, which does not constitute a part of the legislative instrument, was
prepared by J. W. Wiley.
DIGEST
Nevers (SB 539)
Proposed law provides that suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and management
training may be included within the existing continuing education requirements for certain
professionals licensed in Louisiana.
Proposed law provides that, beginning January 1, 2015, the Department of Health and
Hospitals (DHH) shall offer each of the following professional certified, licensed, or
registered in Louisiana access to certain training in suicide assessment, intervention,
treatment, and management through posting links to such training on the department's
official website:
(1)A mental health counselor certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1101 et seq.
(2)A social worker certified or licensed under R.S. 37:2701 et seq.
(3)A physician certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1261 et seq.
(4)A psychiatrist certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1261 et seq.
(5)A psychologist certified or licensed under R.S. 37:2351 et seq.
(6)A medical psychologist certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1360.51 et seq.
(7)A nurse certified or licensed under R.S. 37:911 et seq.
(8)A physician assistant certified or licensed under R.S. 37:1360.21 et seq.
(9)An addiction counselor certified or licensed under R.S. 37:3386 et seq.
Proposed law provides that the training offered via online access by the department under
the proposed law may be such that it is offered in either continuous multi-hour blocks or
spread over shorter training sessions.
Proposed law provides the disciplining authorities over the professions listed in proposed
law, at each board's discretion, may approve the hours spent completing training in suicide
assessment, intervention, treatment, and management under the proposed law as hours that
may count toward meeting any applicable continuing education or continuing competency
requirements for each profession.
Proposed law provides that obtaining training offered via the department's website link under
proposed law shall not be construed to establish a legal basis for negligence or the standard
of care or duty of care owed by a health care professional to a patient in any civil action for
medical malpractice.
Proposed law requires that the secretary of DHH to develop a list of available programs
providing training in suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and management. In
developing such a list, the secretary shall consider suicide assessment, intervention,
treatment, and management training programs listed on the best practices registry of the
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.
Proposed law requires that on or before January 1, 2015, the secretary shall make available SB NO. 539
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on the department's official website online access to its developed list under proposed law
and, where possible, links to training programs on the department's list.
Proposed law further provides that proposed law may be interpreted to expand or limit the
scope of practice of any profession regulated under Title 37 of the La. R.S. of 1950.
Effective August 1, 2014.
(Adds R.S. 37:24-27)
Summary of Amendments Adopted by Senate
Committee Amendments Proposed by Senate Committee on Health and Welfare to
the original bill
1. Changes from mandatory continuing education or continuing competency
training in suicide assessment, intervention, treatment, and management for
certain health care professionals to beginning January 1, 2015, the
Department of Health and Hospitals shall offer certain health care
professionals voluntary training in suicide assessment, intervention,
treatment, and management through posting links to such training on the
department's official website.
Senate Floor Amendments to the engrossed bill
1. Makes technical changes.