2025 -- H 5452
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LC001123
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN,
YOUTH AND FAMILIES
Introduced By: Representatives Casimiro, Noret, Read, Place, Serpa, Alzate, Cotter,
Kislak, Shallcross Smith, and Tanzi
Date Introduced: February 12, 2025
Referred To: House State Government & Elections
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 42-72-5.2 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-72 entitled "Department 1
of Children, Youth and Families" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
42-72-5.2. Development of a continuum of children’s behavioral health programs. 3
(a) The departments of children, youth and families (DCYF) and human services (DHS) 4
shall cooperate to develop a design of a continuum of care for children’s behavioral health services 5
that encourages the use of alternative psychiatric and other services to hospitalization and reviews 6
the utilization of each service in order to better match services and programs to the needs of the 7
children and families as well as continuously improve the quality of and access to services. The 8
departments of children, youth and families and human services shall present a report to the 9
governor and the general assembly no later than February 1, 2006 that fully describes this 10
continuum of services and outlines a detailed plan for its implementation, including resource 11
requirements, responsibilities, milestones, and time frames, as well as a set of indicators and 12
program metrics that will be employed to evaluate its clinical and fiscal effectiveness over time. 13
The report shall also describe any and all changes proposed in program oversight or budgetary 14
responsibility for specific services. An important step towards the development of such continuum 15
of care is to assure the appropriate management of psychiatric hospitalizations. To that end the state 16
shall: 17
(1) Amend contractual agreements with RIte Care health plans to reflect complete 18
LC001123 - Page 2 of 3
responsibility for the management of psychiatric hospitalizations, specifically the development of 1
hospital diversion and post discharge services; and the utilization of crisis intervention services as 2
a requirement for authorization of a psychiatric admission for all children enrolled in RIte Care; 3
and 4
(2) Issue a request for proposals to identify a contracted entity to reflect complete 5
responsibility for the management of psychiatric hospitalizations, specifically the development of 6
hospital diversion and post discharge services for crisis intervention services as a requirement for 7
authorization of a psychiatric admission for all Medicaid-eligible children not enrolled in RIte Care. 8
The request for proposals shall include a dispute resolution process. 9
(b) It shall be the public policy of the state that the department of children, youth and 10
families be the chief state agency responsible for all matters related to children's behavioral health 11
including, but not limited to, contracting with whatever agencies are necessary to provide and 12
implement these services. 13
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. 14
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT -- DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN,
YOUTH AND FAMILIES
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This act would provide that it is the public policy of the state that DCYF be the chief agency 1
responsible for all matters related to children's behavioral health. 2
This act would take effect upon passage. 3
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