Florida SB 1618: Tobacco and Nicotine Products

Bill Text

1618 
Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program 
2026-01-09T07:17:44Z 
Requiring the Department of Children and Families to contract with certain entities to establish and operate the Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program in Clay, Duval, and St. Johns Counties; providing requirements for contracted entities; requiring contracted entities to subcontract with certain state universities for certain purposes; requiring the department and contracted entities to create a coordinated access model, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1618 

 By Senator Leek 

 7-01242B-26 20261618__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to Coordinated Access Model Pilot 
 3 Program; creating s. 394.45735, F.S.; requiring the 
 4 Department of Children and Families to contract with 
 5 certain entities to establish and operate the 
 6 Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program in Clay, Duval, 
 7 and St. Johns Counties; providing requirements for 
 8 contracted entities; requiring contracted entities to 
 9 subcontract with certain state universities for 
 10 certain purposes; requiring the department and 
 11 contracted entities to create a coordinated access 
 12 model; providing model requirements; requiring the 
 13 department to provide specified reports to the 
 14 Governor and the Legislature within specified 
 15 timeframes; authorizing the department to adopt rules; 
 16 providing an effective date. 
 17 
 18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 19 
 20 Section 1. Section 394.45735, Florida Statutes, is created 
 21 to read: 
 22 394.45735 Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program.— 
 23 (1) The Department of Children and Families shall contract 
 24 with local entities to establish and operate a behavioral health 
 25 Coordinated Access Model Pilot Program in the department’s 
 26 Northeast Region, including Clay, Duval, and St. Johns Counties, 
 27 to improve timely access to behavioral health services using a 
 28 single point of entry. 
 29 (2) The contracted entities must have experience in all of 
 30 the following: 
 31 (a) Building resource networks, including behavioral health 
 32 providers, community-based organizations, and government and 
 33 social services. 
 34 (b) Connecting individuals requesting assistance with 
 35 resources through a coordinated care network. 
 36 (c) Hosting a platform that supports closed-loop referrals 
 37 and extensive program metrics. 
 38 (3) The contracted entities shall subcontract with a state 
 39 university that is not designated pursuant to s. 1001.7065(3), 
 40 to provide allied health staff and undergraduate and graduate 
 41 social work and health professions training and internship 
 42 experiences to interact with and screen individuals contacting 
 43 the network access point for assistance. 
 44 (4) The department and contracted entities shall create a 
 45 coordinated access model which shall: 
 46 (a) Coordinate access to behavioral health services among 
 47 multiple service providers and social service entities for 
 48 individuals requesting assistance. 
 49 (b) Provide timely referral, provider navigation, and 
 50 connection to appropriate levels of care using a single, 
 51 electronic referral and resource platform capable of 
 52 coordinating among multiple providers. 
 53 (5) The coordinated access model must include, at a 
 54 minimum: 
 55 (a) A network access point available during standard 
 56 business hours with options for telephone, web-based, and in 
 57 person intakes. 
 58 (b) Standardized screening and referral tools to identify 
 59 service needs and eligibility for available programs. 
 60 (c) Referral coordination and warm handoffs to providers, 
 61 including scheduling of first appointments and follow-up 
 62 confirmation. 
 63 (d) Navigation and follow-up support to ensure successful 
 64 engagement with referred services. 
 65 (e) Service directory and inventory of community-based 
 66 providers, maintained in real time to the extent practicable. 
 67 (f) Coordination with community systems, including primary 
 68 care providers, schools, social services, and local governments. 
 69 (g) Use of a data platform that enables standardized data 
 70 collection and reporting on referral outcomes, timeliness of 
 71 service connections, consumer experience, and identification of 
 72 service system gaps. The data platform must: 
 73 1. Support the potential integration with other state and 
 74 local data systems, including, but not limited to, Medicaid, 
 75 managing entities, school-based services, and community health 
 76 systems. 
 77 2. Facilitate data sharing and interoperability in 
 78 compliance with applicable state and federal privacy laws, 
 79 including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability 
 80 Act of 1996 and 42 C.F.R. part 2. 
 81 3. Provide a comprehensive view of service utilization and 
 82 coordination across provide