By:  Cain                                             S.C.R. No. 88
                             SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
    1-1        WHEREAS, The State of Texas through the Texas Department of
    1-2  Mental Health and Mental Retardation provides mental health
    1-3  services for persons with severe and persistent mental illness; and
    1-4        WHEREAS, The state provides substance abuse treatment
    1-5  services through the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse;
    1-6  and
    1-7        WHEREAS, There now exists sufficient medical data to confirm
    1-8  that persons with certain mental illnesses such as schizophrenia,
    1-9  depression, and attention deficit disorder are likely to have a
   1-10  co-occurring chemical addiction; and
   1-11        WHEREAS, Approximately 50 percent of persons with severe and
   1-12  persistent mental illness who also have a co-occurring substance
   1-13  addiction do not receive adequate services to effectively treat
   1-14  their disorders; and
   1-15        WHEREAS, Evidence now exists to support the philosophy that
   1-16  medical models of care which integrate mental health and substance
   1-17  abuse treatments can succeed where our parallel, separate systems
   1-18  of care have failed; and
   1-19        WHEREAS, A high percentage of persons with a co-occurring
   1-20  substance addiction and mental illness are committed to jails and
   1-21  prisons and do not receive appropriate treatment and subsequently
   1-22  evidence high rates of recidivism; now, therefore, be it
   1-23        RESOLVED, That the Texas Legislature support the study and
    2-1  evaluation of an integrated treatment approach for persons with a
    2-2  co-occurring substance addiction and mental illness; and, be it
    2-3  further
    2-4        RESOLVED, That the Texas Department of the Mental Health and
    2-5  Mental Retardation and the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug
    2-6  Abuse cooperate in designing and implementing at least one pilot
    2-7  program of an integrated evaluation and treatment plan that can
    2-8  help to identify barriers to an integrated system for persons with
    2-9  a co-occurring substance addiction and mental illness, the
   2-10  elimination of such barriers, and the costs of evaluation and
   2-11  treatment; and, be it further
   2-12        RESOLVED, That such a pilot program reflect and evidence the
   2-13  maximum utilization of federal funds, to include Medicaid and local
   2-14  funds, in combination with state funds; and, be it further
   2-15        RESOLVED, That no later than December 31, 1996, the Texas
   2-16  Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation and the Texas
   2-17  Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse shall jointly prepare a report
   2-18  for the 75th Legislature that outlines their conclusions and
   2-19  recommendations concerning the integrated evaluation and treatment
   2-20  model.  The report will include:
   2-21        (1)  a description of the integrated evaluation and treatment
   2-22  program;
   2-23        (2)  a description of the client population served;
   2-24        (3)  an accurate evaluation and the treatment costs;
   2-25        (4)  an analysis of third-party revenue potential, including
    3-1  Medicaid and local revenue;
    3-2        (5)  the impact of integrated treatment on recidivism upon
    3-3  the mental health, substance abuse, and justice systems;
    3-4        (6)  the feasibility of implementing such programs statewide;
    3-5  and
    3-6        (7)  relevant research on similar pilots in other states;
    3-7  and, be it further
    3-8        RESOLVED, That the Texas Department of Mental Health and
    3-9  Mental Retardation and the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug
   3-10  Abuse immediately initiate a memorandum of understanding outlining
   3-11  the responsibilities and contributions of each agency to this
   3-12  project and begin implementation as soon as possible.