By: Uresti S.B. No. 1054
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the Hill Country local mental health authority crisis
  stabilization unit.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  The heading to Section 551.009, Health and
  Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:
         Sec. 551.009.  HILL COUNTRY LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
  CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT [PILOT PROJECT]. 
         SECTION 2.  Subsections (a), (b), (c), (e), and (f), Section
  551.009, Health and Safety Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The Department of State Health Services shall contract
  with the local mental health authority serving the Hill Country
  area, including Kerr County, to operate [implement a crisis
  stabilization unit pilot project by establishing and operating] a
  crisis stabilization unit on the grounds of the Kerrville State
  Hospital as provided by this section.  The unit must be a 16-bed
  facility separate from the buildings used by the Kerrville State
  Hospital.
         (b)  The department shall include provisions in the contract
  requiring [with] the local mental health authority [serving the
  Hill Country area, including Kerr County,] to [operate the crisis
  stabilization unit.   The department shall] 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.
         (c)  The local mental health authority shall contract with
  Kerrville State Hospital to provide food service, laundry service,
  and lawn care[, and equipment rental to the crisis stabilization
  unit.   The local mental health authority may contract with
  Kerrville State Hospital to provide pharmaceutical services for the
  crisis stabilization unit].
         (e)  The local mental health authority operating the crisis
  stabilization unit under contract shall use, for the purpose of
  operating the 16-bed unit, the money appropriated to the department
  for operating 16 beds in state hospitals that is allocated to the
  local mental health authority.  The department shall 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.  The department may allocate additional
  funds appropriated to the department for state hospitals to the
  crisis stabilization unit [pilot project].
         (f)  The department shall reduce the number of beds the
  department operates in the state hospital system by 16.  The
  department, in collaboration with the local mental health
  authority, shall ensure that the 16 beds in the crisis
  stabilization unit are made available to other mental health
  authorities for use as designated by the department.
         SECTION 3.  Subsections (g) and (h), Section 551.009, Health
  and Safety Code, are repealed.
         SECTION 4.  This Act does not make an appropriation.  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.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect August 31, 2009.