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2002 SESSION

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HB 995 Restructuring of mental health care system.

Introduced by: Robert F. McDonnell | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED: (all summaries)

Restructuring of mental health care system. Provides that for any restructuring of the system of mental health services involving existing state mental health facilities, the Commissioner must establish a state and community consensus and planning team. Each team must develop a plan that addresses (i) the types, amounts, and locations of new and expanded community services that would be needed; (ii) the development of a detailed implementation plan designed to build community mental health infrastructure for current and future capacity needs; (iii) the creation of new and enhanced community services; (iv) the transition of state facility patients to community services in the locality of their residence prior to institutionalization or the locality of their choice; (v) the resolution of issues relating to the restructuring implementation process, including employment issues related to state facility employee transition planning and appropriate transitional benefits; and (vi) a six-year projection comparing the cost of the current structure and the proposed structure. In addition, the bill requires the Commissioner to ensure that each plan includes the following components: (a) a plan for community education; (b) a plan for the implementation of required community services, including state-of-the-art practice models and any models required to meet the unique characteristics of the area to be served, which may include models for rural areas; (c) a plan for assuring the availability of adequate staff in the affected communities, including specific strategies for transferring qualified state-facility employees to community services; (d) a plan for assuring the development, funding, and implementation of individualized discharge plans for individuals discharged; and (e) a provision for suspending implementation of the plan if the total general funds appropriated to the Department for state facility and community services decrease in any year of plan implementation by more than 10 percent from the year in which the plan was approved by the General Assembly. Further, the bill states that at least nine months prior to any proposed facility closure or conversion to any use other than the provision of mental health services, the state and community consensus and planning team must submit a plan to the Joint Commission on Health Care and the Governor for review and recommendation. The Joint Commission on Health Care will then make a recommendation to the General Assembly. Upon approval by the General Assembly and the Governor of such recommendation, the Commissioner may implement the proposed facility closure or conversion of the facility to any use other than the provision of mental health service. Any funds saved by the closure or conversion of the facility to any use other than the provision of mental health services, and not allocated to individualized services plans for patients being transferred or discharged as a result of the closure or conversion, will be invested in the Mental Health Trust Fund. Further, concurrent with the development of any required plan for restructuring Eastern State Hospital, the Commissioner, in consultation with the Chancellor of the Community College System, the President of Thomas Nelson Community College, and the President of the College of William and Mary or their designees, and with the advice of the state and community consensus and planning team, must assess the impact and feasibility of using a portion of the property now occupied by Eastern State Hospital located in James City County for the placement of a new campus of Thomas Nelson Community College and the development of a Center for Excellence in Aging and Geriatric Health. The Commissioner is authorized, upon completion of the feasibility study and a plan, and, with the consent of the Governor, to transfer to Thomas Nelson Community College a portion of the Eastern State Hospital property known as the Hancock Geriatric Treatment Center. This transfer will be subject to the following conditions: (i) the college operating a school of allied health professions and (ii) funds equal to the assessed value of the property being deposited in the Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services Trust Fund.


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