Florida Senate - 2023 SB 468
By Senator Garcia
36-00837-23 2023468__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to suicide prevention; amending s.
3 394.9086, F.S.; revising the purposes of the
4 Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse to
5 include an assessment of the state’s suicide
6 prevention infrastructure; revising the duties of the
7 commission to include duties relating to the state’s
8 suicide prevention infrastructure; providing an
9 effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Subsection (2) and paragraph (a) of subsection
14 (4) of section 394.9086, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
15 394.9086 Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse.—
16 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the commission are to examine
17 the current methods of providing mental health and substance
18 abuse services in the state and to improve the effectiveness of
19 current practices, procedures, programs, and initiatives in
20 providing such services; identify any barriers or deficiencies
21 in the delivery of such services; assess the adequacy of the
22 current infrastructure of Florida’s National Suicide Prevention
23 Lifeline (NSPL) system and other components of the state’s
24 behavioral health crisis system; and recommend changes to
25 existing laws, rules, and policies necessary to implement the
26 commission’s recommendations.
27 (4) DUTIES.—
28 (a) The duties of the Commission on Mental Health and
29 Substance Abuse include the following:
30 1. Conducting a review and evaluation of the management and
31 functioning of the existing publicly supported mental health and
32 substance abuse systems and services in the department, the
33 Agency for Health Care Administration, and all other departments
34 which administer mental health and substance abuse services.
35 Such review shall include, at a minimum, a review of current
36 goals and objectives, current planning, services strategies,
37 coordination management, purchasing, contracting, financing,
38 local government funding responsibility, and accountability
39 mechanisms.
40 2. Considering the unique needs of persons who are dually
41 diagnosed.
42 3. Addressing access to, financing of, and scope of
43 responsibility in the delivery of emergency behavioral health
44 care services.
45 4. Addressing the quality and effectiveness of current
46 mental health and substance abuse services delivery systems, and
47 professional staffing and clinical structure of services, roles,
48 and responsibilities of public and private providers, such as
49 community mental health centers; community substance abuse
50 agencies; hospitals, including emergency services departments;
51 law enforcement agencies; and the judicial system.
52 5. Addressing priority population groups for publicly
53 funded mental health and substance abuse services, identifying
54 the comprehensive mental health and substance abuse services
55 delivery systems, mental health and substance abuse needs
56 assessment and planning activities, and local government funding
57 responsibilities for mental health and substance abuse services.
58 6. Reviewing the implementation of chapter 2020-107, Laws
59 of Florida.
60 7. Identifying any gaps in the provision of mental health
61 and substance use disorder services.
62 8. Providing recommendations on how behavioral health
63 managing entities may fulfill their purpose of promoting service
64 continuity and work with community stakeholders throughout this
65 state in furtherance of supporting the NSPL system and other
66 crisis response services.
67 9. Conducting an overview of the current infrastructure of
68 the NSPL system.
69 10. Analyzing the current capacity of crisis response
70 services available throughout this state, including services
71 provided by mobile response teams and centralized receiving
72 facilities. The analysis must include information on the
73 geographic area and the total population served by each mobile
74 response team along with the average response time to each call
75 made to a mobile response team; the number of calls that a
76 mobile response team was unable to respond to due to staff
77 limitations, travel distance, or other factors; and the veteran
78 status and age groups of individuals served by mobile response
79 teams.
80 11. Evaluating and making recommendations to improve
81 linkages between the NSPL infrastructure and crisis response
82 services within this state.
83 12. Identifying available mental health block grant funds
84 that can be used to support the NSPL and crisis response
85 infrastructure within this state, including any available
86 funding through opioid settlements or through the American
87 Rescue Plan Act, Pub. L. No. 117-2; the Coronavirus Aid, Relief,
88 and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Pub. L. No. 116-136; or other
89 federal legislation.
90 13. In consultation with the Agency for Health Care
91 Administration, identifying sources of funding available through
92 the Medicaid program specifically for crisis response services,
93 including funding that may be available by seeking approval of a
94 Section 1115 waiver submitted to the Centers for Medicare and
95 Medicaid Services.
96 14. Making recommendations regarding the mission and
97 objectives of state-supported mental health and substance abuse
98 services and the planning, management, staffing, financing,
99 contracting, coordination, and accountability mechanisms which
100 will best foster the recommended mission and objectives.
101 15.10. Evaluating and making recommendations regarding the
102 establishment of a permanent, agency-level entity to manage
103 mental health, substance abuse, and related services statewide.
104 At a minimum, the evaluation must consider and describe the:
105 a. Specific duties and organizational structure proposed
106 for the entity;
107 b. Resource needs of the entity and possible sources of
108 funding;
109 c. Estimated impact on access to and quality of services;
110 d. Impact on individuals with behavioral health needs and
111 their families, both those currently served through the affected
112 systems providing behavioral health services and those in need
113 of services; and
114 e. Relation to, integration with, and impact on providers,
115 managing entities, communities, state agencies, and systems
116 which provide mental health and substance abuse services in this
117 state. Such recommendations must ensure that the ability of such
118 other agencies and systems to carry out their missions and
119 responsibilities is not impaired.
120 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.