GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2003

SESSION LAW 2004-144

SENATE BILL 1148

AN ACT to provide support and training for Long-Term Care Providers caring for residents with mental illnesses, as recommended by the North Carolina Study Commission on Aging.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall study the mission of the Geriatric Mental Health Specialty Teams to assist long-term care facilities in serving all residents who are within the targeted populations, as identified in the State Plan developed pursuant to G.S. 122C-102. The Department shall include representatives from Area Authorities, Local Management Entities, the adult care home and the nursing home industries and other appropriate stakeholders.  As part of this study, the Department shall consider whether to:

(1)       Create two separate teams, a Geriatric Mental Health Specialty Team to provide services to geriatric mental health residents who are part of the targeted population, and a LTC Mental Health Specialty Team to provide services to nongeriatric residents who are part of the targeted population in long-term care facilities.

(2)       Broaden the scope of and rename the Geriatric Mental Health Specialty Teams to LTC Mental Health Specialty Teams to reflect the expanded mission.

SECTION 2.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall also standardize these criteria across all mental health specialty teams:

(1)       Team purpose,

(2)       Eligibility for services,

(3)       Screening processes,

(4)       Referral processes, and

(5)       Forms, Training Manuals, Service Orders, and Authorizations.

The Department shall proceed immediately with implementing any of these standards that are currently established. The Department shall provide a time line for implementation of the remaining criteria in its interim report required under Section 4 of this act.

SECTION 3.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall proceed immediately with implementation of the following:

(1)       Tracking expenditure data for each Team and each Area Program/Local Management Entity.

(2)       Tracking the number of facilities served, the number of clients served, and the types of services provided by each Team.

(3)       Tracking the use of clinicians with and without formal specialty training in mental health and geriatric mental health on the specialty teams.

SECTION 4.  The Department of Health and Human Services shall submit an interim report to the North Carolina Study Commission on Aging and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services by October 30, 2004, on its efforts to standardize criteria; track expenditure data; and track the number of facilities served, clients served, and services provided by each Team.  The Department shall submit a final report on its standardization and tracking efforts, and the results of its study, to the North Carolina Study Commission on Aging and the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services by October 30, 2005.

SECTION 5.  This act is effective when it becomes law.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 15^th day of July, 2004.

                                                                    s/ Beverly E. Perdue

                                                                         President of the Senate

                                                                    s/ James B. Black

                                                                         Speaker of the House of Representatives

                                                                    s/ Michael F. Easley

                                                                         Governor

Approved 12:34 p.m. this 29^th day of July, 2004