Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1197 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R1688 UM-D
2	2	By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 1197
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to establishing a local behavioral health intervention
8	8	pilot project.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. (a) The Department of State Health Services
11	11	shall establish a local behavioral health intervention pilot
12	12	project for children in Bexar County.
13	13	(b) In implementing the pilot project, the department shall
14	14	require a local mental health authority serving Bexar County to:
15	15	(1) enter into a memorandum of understanding or other
16	16	agreement with state and local agencies that work directly with
17	17	children, including the Department of State Health Services, the
18	18	Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Youth
19	19	Commission, and the Texas Education Agency, to:
20	20	(A) permit collaboration in the provision of
21	21	uniform early intervention behavioral health services to children;
22	22	(B) identify children, with written consent from
23	23	parents or guardians, who are at risk of placement in an alternative
24	24	setting for behavior management, in accordance with behavioral
25	25	standards established by the Texas Education Agency and local
26	26	school district policy, or intervention by the juvenile justice or
27	27	child protective services systems; and
28	28	(C) with written consent from parents or
29	29	guardians, divert children identified under Paragraph (B) to a
30	30	system of care services to reduce gaps or inefficiencies in the
31	31	provision of care;
32	32	(2) develop, in collaboration with the state and local
33	33	agencies, a best practices plan regarding:
34	34	(A) informed consent and confidentiality
35	35	practices;
36	36	(B) uniform behavioral health screening for
37	37	children;
38	38	(C) uniform referral processes between systems
39	39	and agencies related to behavioral health services;
40	40	(D) the delivery of early intervention and
41	41	treatment services; and
42	42	(E) an information exchange process between
43	43	agencies to facilitate faster identification and assessment of
44	44	behavioral health problems and integrate service delivery;
45	45	(3) identify outcome measures that may be used to
46	46	measure the efficiency of coordination; and
47	47	(4) ensure that an extensive listing of providers is
48	48	available for children and their families, including information
49	49	regarding the services offered and the behavioral health issues
50	50	addressed by the provider.
51	51	(c) In order to facilitate the pilot project and identify
52	52	children in accordance with Subsection (b)(1)(B), a local mental
53	53	health authority serving Bexar County, the Department of State
54	54	Health Services, the Department of Family and Protective Services,
55	55	the Texas Youth Commission, the Texas Education Agency, and local
56	56	school districts may, with the consent of the child's parents or
57	57	guardians:
58	58	(1) disclose information relating to a child,
59	59	including information concerning the child's identity, needs,
60	60	treatment, social, criminal, and educational history, probation or
61	61	supervision status and compliance with the conditions of the
62	62	child's probation or supervision, and medical or mental health
63	63	history, if the disclosure serves a purpose of the pilot project;
64	64	(2) accept information relating to a child that serves
65	65	a purpose of the pilot project, regardless of whether other state
66	66	law makes that information confidential; and
67	67	(3) before sharing information under this section,
68	68	enter into a memorandum of understanding with another local or
69	69	state governmental entity to specify:
70	70	(A) the types of information that may be
71	71	exchanged among agencies under this section without violating any
72	72	applicable provisions of federal law, including any federal funding
73	73	requirements; and
74	74	(B) the protocols for information sharing,
75	75	including methods for ensuring the continued protection of
76	76	confidential information by the recipient of the information.
77	77	(d) This section does not affect the confidential status of
78	78	the information being shared.
79	79	(e) The department may use funds for crisis prevention
80	80	programs in collaboration with funds from local authorities,
81	81	including school districts and criminal justice agencies, to
82	82	implement the pilot project.
83	83	(f) Not later than December 1, 2010, the local mental health
84	84	authority involved in the pilot project shall submit a report to the
85	85	department regarding the local behavioral health intervention
86	86	pilot project, including:
87	87	(1) a comprehensive analysis of the efficacy of the
88	88	project; and
89	89	(2) the local authority's findings and
90	90	recommendations.
91	91	(g) This section expires September 1, 2011.
92	92	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.