2017 -- S 0328

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LC001457

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY ENCOURAGING THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN

SERVICES (EOHHS) TO EXAMINE CURRENT POLICIES AND TO MAKE

RECOMMENDATIONS ON IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF MENTAL HEALTH

SERVICES IN RHODE ISLAND

     Introduced By: Senators Sheehan, Miller, Nesselbush, Crowley, and Goodwin

     Date Introduced: February 16, 2017

     Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services

     WHEREAS, Mental health and substance use disorders can have a powerful effect on the

health of individuals, their families, and their communities. These disorders can create various

degrees of disability and carry a high burden of disease, resulting in significant costs to families,

employers, and publicly funded health systems; and

     WHEREAS, According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

Administration (SAMHSA), less than half of the approximately 175,000 Rhode Islanders with

mental illness sought treatment in 2014; and

     WHEREAS, In 2015, there were 125 suicides in Rhode Island. This represents an almost

fifty percent increase in annual suicides in Rhode Island in the past decade; and

     WHEREAS, Given the gravity of the problem, Rhode Island's vision is to ensure that all

of its residents have the opportunity to achieve the best possible mental and behavioral health and

well-being within healthy local communities that promote empowerment, inclusion, and shared

responsibility; and

     WHEREAS, A priority of the Rhode Island Senate has been to enhance the mental health

service system in Rhode Island. These issues are complex and finding solutions requires creative

and comprehensive approaches; and

     WHEREAS, In the fall of 2016, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee held a

series of five hearings to hear from stakeholders and to assess the status of mental health services

in Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, Based on these hearings, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee

identified issues and suggested recommendations for legislative action that are compiled in a

report; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby respectfully requests that Executive Offices of Health and Human Services (EOHHS)

submit a status report on the following identified areas of mental health service needs:

     ( Identify relevant statutes and regulations that require physician level providers to

make mental health treatment referrals, and update these statutes and regulations where

appropriate to allow referrals from additional categories of mental health professionals;

     ( Streamline and clarify RIDOH provider license reciprocity regulations to address the

shortage of mental health professionals;

     ( Disseminate clinical guidelines on best practices for clinicians who care for pregnant

women to screen for maternal depression during and after pregnancy;

     ( Disseminate clinical guidelines for screening and treatment of depression and other

mental health conditions across the lifespan, including children and the elderly;

     ( Utilize The Rhode Island Children's Cabinet to raise awareness of early childhood

adversity, trauma, and toxic stress, and provide professional development opportunities on trauma

and informed best practices for professionals in all disciplines who work with young children and

their families;

     ( Propose potential solutions to improve the Integrated Health Home (IHH) and

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Medicaid managed care program reimbursement

timeline for mental health providers;

     ( Support the development of a comprehensive and effective Olmstead plan for placing

qualified people with mental disabilities in less restrictive settings;

     ( Work with the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (OHIC) to propose

strategies to accomplish mental health payment reform and parity with an emphasis on exploring

the impact of out of pocket costs on access to mental health services;

     ( Develop standards for the application of waivers for disqualifying information on

background checks for peer specialists and recovery coaches;

     ( Support efforts to ensure that a portion of funds from 2016's $50M Affordable

Housing Bond is used to support housing for individuals with mental illness who do not have

homes;

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     ( Expand forensics capacity at Eleanor Slater Hospital to improve the treatment of

inmates with serious mental illness;

     ( Develop a strategy to increase capacity and reduce obstacles to the use of Crisis

Stabilization Units (or similar model) that serve as alternatives to unnecessary emergency

department visits for mental health issues;

     ( Support the efforts of the Governor's Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task

Force Emergency Department and Hospital Standards for Opioid Safety; develop a plan to

expand the scope of this project to include standards for mental health care; and ensure that the

proposed tiered emergency department standards include adequate safeguards for appropriate

transfers of care;

     ( Encourage mental health professionals working at Federally Qualified Health Centers

(FQHCs) to apply to the National Health Services Corps' (NHSC) student loan forgiveness

program;

     ( Develop a plan to raise the entry level wages of BHDDH mental health and

behavioral health direct care workers to a minimum of $15 per hour by 2022; and

     ( Explore potential funding options for mobile outreach efforts which provide

screening and access to services to persons living on the street; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests that the Secretary of the

Executive Offices of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) provide recommendations and

accompanying fiscal analysis; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate hereby respectfully requests that the written

recommendations be submitted to the Senate President and to the Chair of the Senate Committee

on Health and Human Services within 60 days of the passage of this resolution; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Secretary of the Executive Offices of

Health and Human Services (EOHHS).

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