BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1054
By: Uresti
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
In January of 2005, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) closed Kerrville State Hospital (hospital) to civil commitments, leaving a void in the local community for individuals requiring inpatient psychiatric hospitalization to stabilize their symptoms. As a temporary measure to fill the void, DSHS authorized reopening 16 beds at the hospital for civil commitments. During this interim period, Hill Country Community Mental Health and Mental Retardation Center (Hill Country), DSHS, and Representative Harvey Hilderbran have been working cooperatively to develop plans to open a crisis stabilization unit operated by Hill Country in a vacant building on the grounds of the hospital.
The project is a joint effort of the state, county, and private foundations. H.B. 654, authored by Representative Harvey Hilderbran, was passed by the 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, and provided for a pilot program through August 2009 whereby Hill Country operates a 16-bed crisis stabilization unit on the grounds of the hospital. Hill Country is recognized as the local mental health authority for a 19-county service area. As such, Hill Country is responsible for evaluating individuals prior to their commitment for inpatient psychiatric services. Hill Country will utilize this evaluation to determine whether individuals are suitable for receiving services within the crisis stabilization unit.
S.B. 1054 amends current law relating to the Hill Country local mental health authority crisis stabilization unit.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends the heading to Section 551.009, Health and Safety Code, to read as follows:
Sec. 551.009. HILL COUNTRY LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT.
SECTION 2. Amends Sections 551.009(a), (b), (c), (e), and (f), Health and Safety Code, as follows:
(a) Requires the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) to contract with the local mental health authority serving the Hill Country area, including Kerr County, to operate, rather than implement a crisis stabilization unit pilot project by establishing and operating, a crisis stabilization unit on the grounds of the Kerrville State Hospital (hospital) as provided by this section.
(b) Requires
DSHS to include provisions in the contract requiring the local mental health
authority to ensure that the crisis stabilization 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. Deletes existing text
requiring DSHS to contract with the local mental health authority serving the
Hill Country area, including Kerr County, to operate the crisis stabilization unit.
(c) Requires the local mental health authority to contract with the hospital to provide food service, laundry service, and lawn care. Deletes existing text requiring the local mental health authority to contract with the hospital to provide equipment rental to the crisis stabilization unit. Deletes existing text authorizing the local mental health authority to contract in the hospital to provide pharmaceutical services for the crisis stabilization unit.
(e) Authorizes DSHS to allocate additional funds appropriated to DSHS for state hospitals to the crisis stabilization unit, rather than the crisis stabilization unit pilot project.
(f) Requires DSHS to reduce the number of beds DSHS operates in the state hospital system by 16.
SECTION 3. Repealers: Sections 551.009(g) (relating to DSHS submitting a report to certain legislators) and (h) (relating to this section expiring September 1, 2009), Health and Safety Code.
SECTION 4. Provides that this Act does not make an appropriation. Provides that a provision in this Act that creates a new governmental program, creates a new entitlement, or imposes a new duty on a governmental entity is not mandatory during a fiscal period for which the legislature has not made a specific appropriation to implement the provision.
SECTION 5. Effective date: upon passage or August 31, 2009.