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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the Hill Country local mental health authority crisis |
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stabilization unit. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. The heading to Section 551.009, Health and |
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Safety Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 551.009. HILL COUNTRY LOCAL MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY |
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CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT [PILOT PROJECT]. |
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SECTION 2. Subsections (a), (b), (c), (e), and (f), Section |
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551.009, Health and Safety Code, are amended to read as follows: |
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(a) The Department of State Health Services shall contract |
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with the local mental health authority serving the Hill Country |
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area, including Kerr County, to operate [implement a crisis
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stabilization unit pilot project by establishing and operating] a |
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crisis stabilization unit on the grounds of the Kerrville State |
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Hospital as provided by this section. The unit must be a 16-bed |
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facility separate from the buildings used by the Kerrville State |
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Hospital. |
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(b) The department shall include provisions in the contract |
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requiring [with] the local mental health authority [serving the
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Hill Country area, including Kerr County,] to [operate the crisis
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stabilization unit.
The department shall] ensure that the crisis |
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stabilization unit provides short-term residential treatment, |
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including medical and nursing services, designed to reduce a |
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patient's acute symptoms of mental illness and prevent a patient's |
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admission to an inpatient mental health facility. |
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(c) The local mental health authority shall contract with |
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Kerrville State Hospital to provide food service, laundry service, |
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and lawn care[, and equipment rental to the crisis stabilization
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unit.
The local mental health authority may contract with
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Kerrville State Hospital to provide pharmaceutical services for the
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crisis stabilization unit]. |
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(e) The local mental health authority operating the crisis |
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stabilization unit under contract shall use, for the purpose of |
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operating the 16-bed unit, the money appropriated to the department |
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for operating 16 beds in state hospitals that is allocated to the |
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local mental health authority. The department shall ensure that |
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the local mental health authority retains the remainder of the |
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local authority's state hospital allocation that is not used for |
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operating the 16-bed unit. The department may allocate additional |
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funds appropriated to the department for state hospitals to the |
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crisis stabilization unit [pilot project]. |
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(f) The department shall reduce the number of beds the |
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department operates in the state hospital system by 16. The |
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department, in collaboration with the local mental health |
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authority, shall ensure that the 16 beds in the crisis |
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stabilization unit are made available to other mental health |
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authorities for use as designated by the department. |
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SECTION 3. Subsections (g) and (h), Section 551.009, Health |
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and Safety Code, are repealed. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect August 31, 2009. |
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