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Public Act 097-0381 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning health.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||
Regional Integrated Behavioral Health Networks Act. | ||||
Section 5. Legislative Findings. The General Assembly | ||||
recognizes that an estimated 25% of Illinoisans aged 18 years | ||||
or older have experienced a mental or substance use disorder, | ||||
an estimated 700,000 Illinois adults aged 18 years or older | ||||
have a serious mental illness and an estimated 240,000 Illinois | ||||
children and adolescents have a serious emotional disturbance. | ||||
And on any given day, many go without treatment because it is | ||||
not available or accessible. Recent federal and State fiscal | ||||
crises have exacerbated an already deteriorating mental health | ||||
and substance abuse (behavioral health) treatment system that | ||||
is characterized by fragmentation, geographic disparities, | ||||
inadequate funding, psychiatric and other mental health | ||||
workforce shortages, lack of transportation, and overuse of | ||||
acute and emergency care by persons in crisis who are unable to | ||||
obtain treatment from less intensive community alternatives. | ||||
The failure to treat mental and substance use illnesses has | ||||
human and financial consequences: human suffering and loss of | ||||
function; increased use of hospital emergency departments; |
increased use of all medical services; increased unemployment | ||
and lack of productivity; lack of meaningful engagement in | ||
family and communities; school failure; homelessness; | ||
incarceration; and, in some instances, death. The citizens of | ||
Illinois with mental and substance use illnesses need an | ||
organized and integrated system of care that recognizes | ||
regional differences and is able to deliver the right care to | ||
the right person at the right time. | ||
Section 10. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to require | ||
the Department of Human Services to facilitate the creation of | ||
Regional Integrated Behavioral Health Networks (hereinafter | ||
"Networks") for the purpose of ensuring and improving access to | ||
appropriate mental health and substance abuse (hereinafter | ||
"behavioral health") services throughout Illinois by providing | ||
a platform for the organization of all relevant health, mental | ||
health, substance abuse, and other community entities, and by | ||
providing a mechanism to use and channel financial and other | ||
resources efficiently and effectively. Networks may be located | ||
in each of the Department of Human Services geographic regions. | ||
Section 15. Goals. Goals shall include, but not be limited | ||
to, the following: enabling persons with mental and substance | ||
use illnesses to access clinically appropriate, evidence-based | ||
services, regardless of where they reside in the State and | ||
particularly in rural areas; improving access to mental health |
and substance abuse services throughout Illinois, but | ||
especially in rural Illinois communities, by fostering | ||
innovative financing and collaboration among a variety of | ||
health, behavioral health, social service, and other community | ||
entities and by supporting the development of | ||
regional-specific planning and strategies; facilitating the | ||
integration of behavioral health services with primary and | ||
other medical services, advancing opportunities under federal | ||
health reform initiatives; ensuring actual or | ||
technologically-assisted access to the entire continuum of | ||
integrated care, including the provision of services in the | ||
areas of prevention, consumer or patient assessment and | ||
diagnosis, psychiatric care, case coordination, crisis and | ||
emergency care, acute inpatient and outpatient treatment in | ||
private hospitals and from other community providers, support | ||
services, and community residential settings; identifying | ||
funding for persons who do not have insurance and do not | ||
qualify for State and federal healthcare payment programs such | ||
as Medicaid or Medicare; and improving access to transportation | ||
in rural areas. | ||
Section 20. Steering Committee and Networks. | ||
(a) To achieve these goals, the Department of Human | ||
Services shall convene a Regional Integrated Behavioral Health | ||
Networks Steering Committee (hereinafter "Steering Committee") | ||
comprised of State agencies involved in the provision, |
regulation, or financing of health, mental health, substance | ||
abuse, rehabilitation, and other services. These include, but | ||
shall not be limited to, the following agencies: | ||
(1) The Department of Healthcare and Family Services. | ||
(2) The Department of Human Services and its Divisions | ||
of Mental Illness and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse | ||
Services. | ||
(3) The Department of Public Health, including its | ||
Center for Rural Health. | ||
The Steering Committee shall include a representative from | ||
each Network. The agencies of the Steering Committee are | ||
directed to work collaboratively to provide consultation, | ||
advice, and leadership to the Networks in facilitating | ||
communication within and across multiple agencies and in | ||
removing regulatory barriers that may prevent Networks from | ||
accomplishing the goals. The Steering Committee collectively | ||
or through one of its member Agencies shall also provide | ||
technical assistance to the Networks. | ||
(b) There also shall be convened Networks in each of the | ||
Department of Human Services' regions comprised of | ||
representatives of community stakeholders represented in the | ||
Network, including when available, but not limited to, relevant | ||
trade and professional associations representing hospitals, | ||
community providers, public health care, hospice care, long | ||
term care, law enforcement, emergency medical service, | ||
physicians trained in psychiatry; an organization that |
advocates on behalf of federally qualified health centers, an | ||
organization that advocates on behalf of persons suffering with | ||
mental illness and substance abuse disorders, an organization | ||
that advocates on behalf of persons with disabilities, an | ||
organization that advocates on behalf of persons who live in | ||
rural areas, an organization that advocates on behalf of | ||
persons who live in medically underserved areas; and others | ||
designated by the Steering Committee or the Networks. A member | ||
from each Network may choose a representative who may serve on | ||
the Steering Committee. | ||
Section 25. Development of Network Plans. Each Network | ||
shall develop a plan for its respective region that addresses | ||
the following: | ||
(a) Inventory of all mental health and substance abuse | ||
treatment services, primary health care facilities and | ||
services, private hospitals, State-operated psychiatric | ||
hospitals, long term care facilities, social services, | ||
transportation services, and any services available to serve | ||
persons with mental and substance use illnesses. | ||
(b) Identification of unmet community needs, including, | ||
but not limited to, the following: | ||
(1) Waiting lists in community mental health and | ||
substance abuse services. | ||
(2) Hospital emergency department use by persons with | ||
mental and substance use illnesses, including volume, |
length of stay, and challenges associated with obtaining | ||
psychiatric assessment. | ||
(3) Difficulty obtaining admission to inpatient | ||
facilities, and reasons therefore. | ||
(4) Availability of primary care providers in the | ||
community, including Federally Qualified Health Centers | ||
and Rural Health Centers. | ||
(5) Availability of psychiatrists and mental health | ||
professionals. | ||
(6) Transportation issues. | ||
(7) Other. | ||
(c) Identification of opportunities to improve access to | ||
mental and substance abuse services through the integration of | ||
specialty behavioral health services with primary care, | ||
including, but not limited to, the following: | ||
(1) Availability of Federally Qualified Health Centers | ||
in community with mental health staff. | ||
(2) Development of accountable care organizations or | ||
other primary care entities. | ||
(3) Availability of acute care hospitals with | ||
specialized psychiatric capacity. | ||
(4) Community providers with an interest in | ||
collaborating with acute care providers. | ||
(d) Development of a plan to address community needs, | ||
including a specific timeline for implementation of specific | ||
objectives and establishment of evaluation measures. The |
comprehensive plan should include the complete continuum of | ||
behavioral health services, including, but not limited to, the | ||
following: | ||
(1) Prevention. | ||
(2) Client assessment and diagnosis. | ||
(3) An array of outpatient behavioral health services. | ||
(4) Case coordination. | ||
(5) Crisis and emergency services. | ||
(6) Treatment, including inpatient psychiatric | ||
services in public and private hospitals. | ||
(7) Long term care facilities. | ||
(8) Community residential alternatives to | ||
institutional settings. | ||
(9) Primary care services.
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Section 30. Timeline. The Network plans shall be prepared | ||
within 6 months of establishment of the Network. The Steering | ||
Committee shall assist the Networks in the development of plans | ||
by providing technical expertise and in facilitating funding | ||
support and opportunities for the development of services | ||
identified under each of the plans. | ||
Section 35. Report to Governor and General Assembly. The | ||
Steering Committee shall report to the Governor and General | ||
Assembly the status of each regional plan, including the | ||
recommendations of the Network Councils to accomplish their |
goals and improve access to behavioral health services. The | ||
report shall also contain performance measures, including | ||
changes to the behavioral health services capacity in the | ||
region; any waiting lists for community services; volume and | ||
wait times in hospital emergency departments for access to | ||
behavioral health services; development of primary | ||
care-behavioral health partnerships or barriers to their | ||
formation; and funding challenges and opportunities. This | ||
report shall be submitted on an annual basis.
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect January | ||
1, 2012.
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