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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2236 FILED ON: 1/20/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1266 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Patrick M. O'Connor |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to PANDAS/PANS. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Patrick M. O'ConnorFirst Plymouth and NorfolkJason M. LewisFifth Middlesex1/24/2023 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2236 FILED ON: 1/20/2023 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1266 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. O'Connor, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1266) of Patrick M. O'Connor |
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| 19 | 19 | | and Jason M. Lewis for legislation relative to PANDAS/PANS. Mental Health, Substance Use |
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| 20 | 20 | | and Recovery. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act relative to PANDAS/PANS. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 (a) Notwithstanding any special or general law to the contrary, the Department of Mental |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2Health, in conjunction with the Department of Education shall conduct a study of pediatric and |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3adolescent psychiatric hospital settings and therapeutic day schools to determine if any children |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4within these settings have root causes in missed or known neuroimmune issues or pediatric |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections and pediatric |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7 (b) In conducting the study, the Department of Mental Health and Department of |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8Education shall use established clinical criteria developed by the PANS/PANDAS Consortium |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9available through the PANDAS Physicians Network, and other experts specializing in the |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10treatment and diagnosis of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11streptococcal infections and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. The Departments |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12shall interview children and families who had previously been misdiagnosed and subsequently 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13found to have pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14infections and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome while they were accessing |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15support through the Department of Mental Health. Further, the departments shall consult with the |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16Department of Public Health’s PANDAS/PANS Advisory Council and professionals in pediatric |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17and adolescent psychiatric hospital settings and therapeutic day schools. |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18 (c) The findings of the study shall include, but no limited to, the following: |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19 (i) Identify the prevalence of pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated |
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| 48 | 48 | | 20with streptococcal infections and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome in pediatric |
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| 49 | 49 | | 21and adolescent psychiatric hospital settings and therapeutic day schools. |
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| 50 | 50 | | 22 (ii) Report outcomes of interviewed children & families who had been previously |
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| 51 | 51 | | 23misdiagnosed and subsequently found to have pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders |
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| 52 | 52 | | 24associated with streptococcal infections and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. |
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| 53 | 53 | | 25 (d) By December 31, 2023, the Department of Mental Health and the Department of |
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| 54 | 54 | | 26Education shall report the findings of the study to the Joint Committee on Public Health, the |
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| 55 | 55 | | 27Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Use and Recovery, the Department of Public |
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| 56 | 56 | | 28Health, the PANDAS/PANS Advisory Council and the Clerk of the Senate and Clerk of the |
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| 57 | 57 | | 29House of Representatives. |
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