BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center H.B. 654
By: Hilderbran et al. (Fraser)
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
In 1999, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) began to redefine the role of Kerrville State Hospital by moving away from providing acute inpatient care to providing treatment for people under an extended criminal commitment. Because of increasing pressure of forensic commitments across the 10 state hospitals, DSHS in January 2005 converted Kerrville State Hospital to a forensic facility. Hill Country patients needing inpatient care in Kerrville State Hospital were diverted to Austin and San Antonio. A 16-bed crisis stabilization unit (unit) pilot project on Kerrville State Hospital grounds is the solution. A unit is a short-term--14 days or less--residential treatment program designed to reduce a patient's acute symptoms of mental illness and prevent admission to a state hospital. The local mental health authority serving the Hill Country area in Kerr County would operate the unit under a contract with DSHS.
H.B. 654 establishes a pilot project to develop and operate a crisis stabilization unit on Kerrville State Hospital grounds.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 551, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section 551.009, as follows:
Sec. 551.009. HILL COUNTRY LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT PILOT PROJECT. (a) Requires the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to implement a crisis stabilization unit (unit) pilot project by establishing and operating a unit on the grounds of the Kerrville State Hospital as provided by this section. Requires the unit to be a 16-bed facility separate from the buildings used by the Kerrville State Hospital.
(b) Requires DSHS to contract with the local mental health authority serving the Hill Country area, including Kerr County, to operate the unit. Requires DSHS to ensure that the unit provides short-term residential treatment, including medical and nursing services, designed to reduce a patient's acute symptoms of mental illness and prevent a patient's admission to an inpatient mental health facility.
(c) Requires the local mental health authority to contract with Kerrville State Hospital to provide food service, laundry service, lawn care, and equipment rental to the unit. Authorizes the local mental health authority to contract with Kerrville State Hospital to provide pharmaceutical services for the unit.
(d) Prohibits the unit from being used to provide care to children or to adults sentenced to a state mental facility as provided by Chapter 46C (Insanity Defense), Code of Criminal Procedure.
(e) Requires the local mental health authority operating the unit under contract to use, for the purpose of operating the 16-bed unit, the money appropriated to DSHS for operating 16 beds in state hospitals that is allocated to the local mental health authority. Requires DSHS to ensure that the local mental health authority retains the remainder of the local authority's state hospital allocation that is not used for operating the 16-bed unit. Authorizes DSHS to allocate additional funds appropriated to DSHS for state hospitals to the unit pilot project.
(f) Requires DSHS to reduce the number of beds DSHS operates in the state hospital by 16. Requires DSHS, in collaboration with the local mental health authority, to ensure that the 16 beds in the unit are made available to other mental health authorities for use as designated by DSHS.
(g) Requires DSHS, not later than December 1, 2008, to submit a report to the governor, the lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of representatives that includes an analysis of the effectiveness of the pilot project and recommendations regarding the continuation or expansion of the pilot project.
(h) Provides that this section expires September 1, 2009.
SECTION 2. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2007.