BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1969
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1969 (Steinberg)
As Amended August 25, 2000
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |76-0 |(May 31, 2000) |SENATE: |29-2 |(August 28, |
| | | | | |2000) |
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Original Committee Reference: HEALTH
SUMMARY : Establishes a long-term mental health care working
group to further coordination and monitoring of treatment of
persons with mental illness in long-term care facilities,
appropriates an unspecified sum for counties for caring for
patients in institutions with mental disease. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Makes findings and declarations relative to the nexus between
homelessness among the mentally ill and affordable housing,
the continuum of services that comprise housing for the
mentally ill, and the need for monitoring of the living
situations of the mentally ill to include more than monitoring
"bricks and mortar."
2)Requires the Department of Mental Health (DMH), in conjunction
with DHS, to establish a long-term mental health care working
group that includes representatives of county mental health
programs, consumers, family members of residents with mental
disease who are in long-term care facilities, and long-term
care providers.
3)Requires the long-term mental health care working group to
develop a plan for the development of long-term mental health
care facilities that are community-based and serve no more
than sixteen people. Requires the plan to consider whether a
new licensure category is needed and the elements of
monitoring and evaluation that would be included in the
development of a new licensure category. Requires the
long-term mental health care working group to make
recommendations to the Legislature on or before January 1,
2002.
4)Requires DMH, in conjunction with DHS, to develop and submit
AB 1969
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to the Legislature, on or before March 1, 2001, a state plan
for a consolidated and streamlined evaluation and monitoring
program under one regulating authority for the review of
mental health rehabilitation centers and skilled nursing
facilities (SNFs) with special treatment programs, as
specified. Requires the plan to include the cost and timeline
for implementation.
5)Requires DHS to forward to DMH and the county in which the
facility is located, citations issued to a SNF that has a
special treatment program. Requires DMH to forward to the
county in which a facility is located, copies of SNF and
mental health rehabilitation center citations, as specified.
6)Requires, to the extent state funds are available, counties
that contract for services from institutions for mental
disease to establish a clinical quality support program as
specified.
7)Requires, on or before July 1, 2001, DHS to develop a
mechanism to allow public access, including internet access,
to information regarding long-term care facilities licensed or
certified by DHS, including mental health rehabilitation
centers and special treatment programs, as specified.
The Senate amendments delete the appropriation from this bill
and make minor, nonsubstantive changes.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes DHS to license and regulate health facilities,
including SNFs that provide services to persons with severe
mental illness.
2)Permits counties to determine whether to place severely
mentally ill persons in state-run hospitals, or to contract
for these services with local private providers.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill established a long-term
mental health care working group to further coordination and
monitoring of treatment of persons with mental illness in
long-term care facilities, appropriates an unspecified sum for
counties for caring for patients in institutions with mental
disease.
AB 1969
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FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee analysis, GF costs to DMH, estimated at $3 million
annually, to allocate funds to counties for clinical quality
support programs in institutions for mental disease.
COMMENTS : According to the author, this bill is intended to
improve coordination of oversight of SNFs that also serve
persons with mental illness. The author cites a lack of
coordination between DHS and DMH, noting that DMH may find a
deficiency with one of these facilities, but have no authority
to issue a citation or impose fines.
The Union of American Physicians and Dentists notes that
establishing a mechanism that allows public access to health
care facility information will enable an assessment of the
housing options available to persons with mental illness.
Protection and Advocacy, Inc. (PAI) believes that this bill will
greatly improve mental health services in California by
enhancing monitoring of certain facilities.
Following the realignment of responsibility and payment for
mental health services in 1991, counties gained the option of
paying to place noncriminal persons with severe mental illness
in state-run hospitals, or contracting out with private
providers at the local level to provide care. A recent Los
Angeles Times article indicates that many counties have chosen
to redirect patients to private facilities that tend to be less
expensive than state hospital care. This redirection has also
resulted in a large increase in the number of citations issued
to a select group of private facilities. DHS has issued 200
citations against 35 of the 45 facilities certified to provide
care for the mentally ill since 1992. DMH was apparently unaware
of, or ill-equipped to intervene in these situations where DHS
had issued citations.
Analysis Prepared by : Ann Blackwood / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
FN: 0006798