New York S 6194: Relates to establishing a 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline system

Bill Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6194--B
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 14, 2021
___________
Introduced by Sens. BROUK, HARCKHAM, BENJAMIN, BROOKS, HELMING -- read
twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the
Committee on Local Government -- committee discharged and said bill
committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabil-
ities -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee -- committee discharged,
bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee
AN ACT to amend the county law, in relation to a 9-8-8 suicide
prevention and mental health crisis hotline system
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Act".
3 § 2. The county law is amended by adding a new article 6-B to read as
4 follows:
5 ARTICLE 6-B
6 9-8-8 SUICIDE PREVENTION AND MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS ACT
7 Section 340. Definitions.
8 341. 9-8-8 suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline
9 system.
10 § 340. Definitions. As used in this article, unless the context
11 requires otherwise:
12 1. "9-8-8" shall mean the three digit phone number designated by the
13 federal communications commission for the purpose of connecting individ-
14 uals experiencing a mental health crisis with suicide prevention and
15 mental health crisis counselors, mobile crisis teams, and crisis receiv-
16 ing and stabilization services and other mental health crises services
17 through the national suicide prevention lifeline.
EXPLANATION--Matter in (underscored) is new; matter in bracketsitalics
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10757-12-1

S. 6194--B 2
1 2. "9-8-8 crisis hotline center" shall mean a state-identified and
2 funded center participating in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
3 Network to respond to statewide or regional 9-8-8 calls.
4 3. "Crisis receiving and stabilization services" shall mean facilities
5 providing short-term observation and crisis stabilization services under
6 article thirty-six of the mental hygiene law, or other crisis services
7 approved or licensed by the office of mental health.
8 4. "Mental health professional" shall mean any of the following, but
9 shall not be limited to:
10 (a) a licensed clinical social worker, licensed under article one
11 hundred fifty-four of the education law;
12 (b) a licensed psychologist, licensed under article one hundred
13 fifty-three of the education law;
14 (c) a registered professional nurse, licensed under article one
15 hundred thirty-nine of the education law;
16 (d) a licensed master social worker, licensed under article one
17 hundred fifty-four of the education law, under the supervision of a
18 physician, psychologist or licensed clinical social worker; and
19 (e) a licensed mental health counselor, licensed under article one
20 hundred sixty-three of the education law.
21 5. "Mobile crisis teams" shall mean a team that may include, but not
22 be limited to, mental health professionals, certified alcoholism and
23 substance abuse counselors, family peer advocates, and peers, to provide
24 onsite community-based intervention for individuals who are experiencing
25 a mental health crisis, or an "approved mobile crisis outreach team"
26 under article nine of the mental hygiene law.
27 6. "National suicide prevention lifeline" or "NSPL" shall mean the
28 national network of local crisis centers that provide free and confiden-
29 tial emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional
30 distress twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week via a toll-free
31 hotline number, which receives calls made through the 9-8-8 system. The
32 toll-free number is maintained by the Assistant Secretary for Mental
33 Health and Substance Use under the United States Substance Abuse and
34 Mental Health Services Administration.
35 7. "Peer" shall mean an individual who is a current or former recipi-
36 ent of mental health or substance use services who provides advocacy and
37 mutual support for other services users through a model of shared
38 personal experience, who are employed on the basis of their personal
39 knowledge and recovery from a mental illness, addiction, or both, and
40 who meet the certification requirements set forth by the New York state
41 peer specialist certification board.
42 8. "Family peer advocates" shall mean individuals with lived-experi-
43 ence as the biological, foster, or adoptive parent or primary caregiver
44 of a child or youth with a social, emotional, behavioral, mental health,
45 substance use disorder, or developmental disability, who meet the
46 current requirements for a credentialed family peer advocate, or other
47 certification related to culturally responsive trauma informed care.
48 9.