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2017 SESSION

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SB 1330 Critical incident stress management team; peer support team privileged communications.

Introduced by: Charles W. Carrico, Sr. | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS PASSED:

Critical incident stress management team and critical stress management team privileged communications. Provides that certain communications regarding a critical incident to a peer support team member are included in the critical incident stress management team privilege. Under current law, the privilege applies only to members of a critical incident stress management team. The bill specifies that a peer support team shall be headed by a Virginia-licensed clinical psychologist, Virginia-licensed psychiatrist, Virginia-licensed clinical social worker, or Virginia-licensed professional counselor with at least five years of experience as a mental health consultant who works directly with emergency medical services personnel or public safety personnel to meet the accreditation standards. Finally, the bill defines a critical incident as an incident that induces an abnormally high level of negative emotions in response to a perceived loss of control and is often related to a threat to the well-being of emergency medical services personnel or public safety personnel or to the well-being of another individual for whom such personnel has some obligation of personal or professional concern.

SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE:

Critical incident stress management team and critical stress management team privileged communications. Provides that certain communications regarding a critical incident to a peer support team member are included in the critical incident stress management team privilege. Under current law, the privilege only applies to members of a critical incident stress management team. The bill also defines a critical incident an incident in which a person employed as an emergency medical services or public safety employee experiences a serious bodily injury or loss of consciousness or witnesses the death, serious bodily injury, or loss of consciousness of another person. The bill also specifies that a peer support team shall be headed by a Virginia-licensed clinical psychologist, Virginia-licensed psychiatrist, Virginia-licensed clinical social worker, or Virginia-licensed professional counselor with at least five years of experience as a mental health consultant who works directly with emergency medical services personnel or public safety personnel to meet the accreditation standards.

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Critical incident stress management team and critical stress management team privileged communications. Renames critical incident stress management teams "peer support teams" to more accurately reflect the scope of such teams and expands the privileged communications of a peer support team member to all communications made to a member of a peer support team unless such communication is specifically excluded under the privilege. Under current law, the privilege attaches only to communications concerning a critical incident. The bill also specifies that a peer support team shall be headed by a Virginia-licensed clinical psychologist, Virginia-licensed psychiatrist, Virginia-licensed clinical social worker, or Virginia-licensed professional counselor with at least five years of experience as a mental health consultant who works directly with emergency medical services personnel or public safety personnel to meet the accreditation standards.