1

The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs (Rich)

2

recommended the following amendment:

3

4

     Senate Amendment (with title amendment)

5

     Delete everything after the enacting clause

6

and insert:

7

     Section 1.  Paragraph (e) is added to subsection (2) of

8

section 14.2019, Florida Statutes, to read:

9

     14.2019  Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention.--

10

     (2)  The statewide office shall, within available resources:

11

     (e) Establish a Veterans' Suicide Prevention and Mental

12

Health Services Project as provided in s. 14.20193.

13

     Section 2.  Section 14.20193, Florida Statutes, is created

14

to read:

15

     14.20193 Veterans' Suicide Prevention and Mental Health

16

Services Project.--

17

     (1) The statewide office shall, within available resources,

18

establish the Veterans' Suicide Prevention and Mental Health

19

Services Project to:

20

     (a) Coordinate suicide prevention and mental health and

21

substance abuse services and resources for veterans and their

22

families which are currently provided by or available through the

23

Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of Military

24

Affairs, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

25

     (b) Promote awareness of the network of behavioral health

26

service providers that provide community-based suicide prevention

27

and mental health and substance abuse services for veterans and

28

their families.

29

     (c) Increase public awareness about the risk of suicide and

30

mental illness among veterans and the mental health and substance

31

abuse services that are available to veterans.

32

     (d) Generate guidelines and standards for behavioral

33

service providers serving veterans at risk for suicide and mental

34

illness and develop a list of community behavioral health service

35

providers who meet those standards.

36

     (e) Enhance mental health care services for veterans and

37

their families in areas where veterans are underserved by

38

existing services.

39

     (f) Develop a standard operating procedure for identifying

40

tier levels of support for veterans.

41

     (2) Guidelines and standards for community behavioral

42

health services providers participating in this project shall, at

43

a minimum:

44

     (a) Be a nonprofit organization under s. 501(c)(3) of the

45

Internal Revenue Code, be community-based, and have at least 5

46

years of experience providing behavioral health treatment

47

services in the community.

48

     (b) Have experience providing suicide prevention and mental

49

health services outreach to the community and to the veteran

50

population.

51

     (c) Commit to linking efforts between the veteran

52

population, community-based veterans services organizations, the

53

federal Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of

54

Veterans' Affairs, the Department of Military Affairs, and other

55

entities that serve and are familiar with the culture and needs

56

of veterans.

57

     (d) Show accreditation by a state-recognized accrediting

58

organization, such as the Commission on Accreditation of

59

Rehabilitation Facilities, the Joint Commission on the

60

Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or the Council on

61

Accreditation, particularly with respect to the service

62

components that serve veterans at risk for suicide and mental

63

illness.

64

     (e) Show the professional qualifications of the provider's

65

staff who meet the needs of veterans at risk for suicide and

66

mental illness.

67

     (f) Provide evidence that the provider's resources,

68

including facilities, equipment, and client capacity, are

69

adequate and provided in a location that is amenable to the

70

veteran population, including veterans with disabilities.

71

     (g) Ensure the privacy and confidentiality of client

72

records, data collected, interview information, and transcripts

73

of group discussions, including how confidential information will

74

be stored and safeguarded and who will have access to the

75

information.

76

     (h) Ensure the ability to collect, document, and report

77

data on performance measures and how the data will be used to

78

manage the program and ensure continuous quality improvement.

79

     Section 3. The sum of $700,000 in nonrecurring funds is

80

appropriated from the General Revenue Fund to the Statewide

81

Office for Suicide Prevention for the 2008-2009 fiscal year for

82

the purpose of funding the Veterans' Suicide Prevention and

83

Mental Health Services Project created by this act. The Executive

84

Office of the Governor may provide at least one additional full-

85

time equivalent position within the Statewide Office of Suicide

86

Prevention to coordinate this project at the state level.

87

     Section 4.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2008.

88

89

================ T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================

90

And the title is amended as follows:

91

     Delete everything before the enacting clause

92

and insert:

93

A bill to be entitled

94

An act relating to veteran services; amending s. 14.2019,

95

F.S.; requiring the Statewide Office for Suicide

96

Prevention to establish a Veterans' Suicide Prevention and

97

Mental Health Services Project; creating s. 14.20193,

98

F.S.; establishing the project; specifying the tasks for

99

the office in implementing the project; providing for the

100

office, within available resources, to coordinate suicide

101

prevention, mental health and substance abuse services,

102

and resources for veterans and their families which are

103

currently provided by or available through the Department

104

of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of Military Affairs,

105

and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs;

106

providing that a pilot project be conducted in an area

107

where veterans are underserved in order to enhance

108

behavioral health care services for veterans and their

109

families; providing minimum standards for community-based

110

providers that provide services to veterans at risk for

111

suicide and mental illness; providing an appropriation and

112

authorizing an additional position; providing an effective

113

date.

4/7/2008  6:36:00 PM     34-06830A-08