Bill Text: NY S04910 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Broadens the geriatric service demonstration program to include older adults with mental health disabilities and chemical dependence; renames the program to be the geriatric mental health and chemical dependence demonstration program; allows for grants to be awarded by the office to providers of care to older adults with chemical dependence.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-06-07 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO RULES [S04910 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-S04910-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4910 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN SENATE March 3, 2017 ___________ Introduced by Sens. DIAZ, AVELLA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and chapter 568 of the laws of 2005, amending the mental hygiene law relating to enacting the geria- tric mental health act, in relation to mental health care, chemical dependence and compulsive gambling services for the elderly under the geriatric service demonstration program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 7.41 of the mental hygiene law, as added by chapter 2 568 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows: 3 § 7.41 Geriatric service demonstration program. 4 (a) The office shall establish a geriatric service demonstration 5 program to provide grants, within appropriations therefor, to providers 6 of mental health care, chemical dependence services, compulsive gambling 7 services, or any combination thereof, to the elderly, including organ- 8 izations that provide health and aging services as well as mental 9 health, chemical dependence, and compulsive gambling organizations. Such 10 program shall be administered by the office in cooperation with the 11 office of alcoholism and substance abuse services, the state office for 12 the aging and such other state agencies as the commissioner shall deter- 13 mine are necessary for the operation of the program. 14 (b) Grants may be awarded by the office to providers of care to older 15 adults with mental disabilities, chemical dependence, compulsive gambl- 16 ing, or any combination thereof, for the purposes which may include one 17 or more of the following: 18 (1) Community integration. Programs which enable older adults with 19 mental disabilities or older adults suffering from chemical dependence 20 or compulsive gambling to age safely in the community and prevent the 21 unnecessary use of institutional care; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD03572-01-7S. 4910 2 1 (2) Improved quality of treatment. Programs for older adults which 2 improve the quality of mental health care, chemical dependence or 3 compulsive gambling services in the community or in residential facili- 4 ties; 5 (3) Integration of services. Programs which integrate mental health 6 and aging services with alcohol, drug, health and other support 7 services; 8 (4) Workforce. Programs which make more efficient use of mental health 9 [and], chemical dependence, compulsive gambling, health and aging 10 services professionals by developing alternative service roles for para- 11 professionals and volunteers, including peers, and programs more effec- 12 tive in recruitment and retention of bi-lingual, bi-cultural or 13 culturally competent staff; 14 (5) Family support. Programs which provide support for family caregiv- 15 ers, to include the provision of care to older adults by younger family 16 members and by older adults to younger family members; 17 (6) Finance. Programs which have developed and implemented innovative 18 financing methodologies to support the delivery of best practices; 19 (7) Specialized populations. Programs which concentrate on outreach 20 to, engagement of and effective treatment of cultural minorities or 21 veterans as defined in section eighty-five of the civil service law; 22 (8) Information clearinghouse. Programs which compile, distribute and 23 make available information on clinical developments, program innovations 24 and policy developments which improve the care to older adults with 25 mental disabilities or suffering from chemical dependence or compulsive 26 gambling; and 27 (9) Staff training. Programs which offer on-going training initiatives 28 including improved clinical and cultural skills, evidence based geria- 29 tric mental health, chemical dependence and compulsive gambling treat- 30 ment skills, and the identification and management of mental, behavioral 31 and substance abuse disorders among older adults. 32 (c) The commissioner may adopt rules and regulations necessary to 33 implement the provisions of this section. 34 § 2. Section 3 of chapter 568 of the laws of 2005, amending the mental 35 hygiene law relating to enacting the geriatric mental health act, as 36 amended by chapter 203 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as 37 follows: 38 § 3. Interagency geriatric mental health and chemical dependence plan- 39 ning council. (a) There shall be established an interagency geriatric 40 mental health and chemical dependence planning council. Such council 41 shall consist of nineteen members, as follows: 42 (1) the commissioner of mental health, the commissioner of alcoholism 43 and substance abuse services, the director of the division of veterans' 44 affairs and the director of the state office for the aging, who shall 45 serve as the co-chairs of the council. The adjutant general shall serve 46 as an ex-officio member of the council; 47 (2) one member appointed by the commissioner of [mental retardation48and] the office for people with developmental disabilities to represent 49 the office [of mental retardation and] for people with developmental 50 disabilities; 51 (3) one member appointed by the chairman of the state commission on 52 quality of care and advocacy for persons with disabilities to represent 53 such commission; 54 (4) one member appointed by the commissioner of health to represent 55 the department of health;S. 4910 3 1 (5) one member appointed by the commissioner of education to represent 2 the education department and the board of regents; 3 (6) one member appointed by the commissioner of children and family 4 services to represent the office of children and family services on 5 issues relating to adult protective services; 6 (7) one member appointed by the commissioner of temporary and disabil- 7 ity assistance to represent the office of temporary and disability 8 assistance; 9 (8) four members appointed by the governor; and 10 (9) two members appointed by the temporary president of the senate and 11 two members appointed by the speaker of the assembly to represent any 12 other organizations which serve or advocate on behalf of elderly 13 persons. 14 (b) The members of the council shall serve at the pleasure of their 15 appointing authority. 16 (c) The council shall meet as often as necessary, but not less than 17 four times per calendar year, to develop annual recommendations, to be 18 submitted to the commissioner of mental health, the commissioner of 19 alcoholism and substance abuse services, the director of the division of 20 veterans' affairs, the adjutant general and the director of the state 21 office for the aging, regarding geriatric mental health and chemical 22 dependence needs. Such recommendations may address issues which include: 23 community integration, quality improvement, integration of mental 24 health, chemical dependence, compulsive gambling, health, aging and such 25 relevant services [with services to address alcoholism, drug abuse, and26health care needs,] as appropriate; and workforce development, family 27 support and finance. 28 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
