§4. Office of behavioral health; legislative findings; creation of behavioral health implementation advisory committee

A. The legislature finds that:

(1) People can recover from both mental illness and addictive disorders when given the proper care and a supportive environment.

(2) The consequences of mental illness and addictive disorders affect all citizens of Louisiana, and it is essential to merge the administrative and planning functions of the state as they relate to mental health and addictive disorders in order to have a comprehensive health care system.

(3) Consolidation of the administrative functions of the state offices of mental health and addictive disorders is consistent with federal administration of such programs and has been adopted by other states.

(4) Consolidation of administrative functions shall allow the office of behavioral health to maximize available state, federal, and grant funding for the provision of services for persons with a mental illness or an addictive disorder or co-occurring disorders.

(5) Consolidation of administrative functions shall allow the office of behavioral health to pursue best practices to maximize available professionals to serve persons with mental illness, addictive disorders, and co-occurring disorders in accordance with their respective licensing statutes.

B. An implementation advisory committee, hereinafter referred to as "committee", shall recommend to the secretary a specific plan for implementation of the consolidated administrative functions of the office of behavioral health. The committee shall meet as needed and submit a report to the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health with final recommendations on the implementation plan which may be adopted no later than January 31, 2010. Thereafter, the committee shall continue to meet and advise the secretary on matters regarding implementation until the committee automatically dissolves on July 1, 2011. The Louisiana Department of Health shall submit to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare and the House Committee on Health and Welfare on September 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011, a written status report that details the progress of the implementation of the provisions of this Section. The following persons shall be members of the committee:

(1) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health or his designee, who shall be the chairperson of the committee.

(2) The assistant secretary of the office for addictive disorders or his designee.

(3) The assistant secretary of the office of mental health or his designee.

(4) One representative from the addictive disorder professional community, chosen by the secretary from a list of names provided by the addictive disorder professional associations.

(5) One representative from the mental health professional community, chosen by the secretary from a list of names provided by the mental health stakeholder community.

(6) One consumer of addictive disorder services, chosen by the secretary from a list of names provided by the Louisiana Commission on Addictive Disorders.

(7) One consumer of mental health services, chosen by the secretary from a list of names provided by the Louisiana Mental Health Planning Council.

(8) One representative from the addictive disorder professional community, chosen by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

(9) One representative from the addictive disorder professional community, chosen by the president of the Senate.

(10) One representative from the mental health professional community, chosen by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

(11) One representative from the mental health professional community, chosen by the president of the Senate.

(12) One representative selected by the Human Services Interagency Council who currently serves as the executive director of an existing human services district or authority.

C. The implementation advisory committee shall have the authority to create subcommittees to assist in the development of recommendations for consolidation of the administrative offices for mental health and addictive disorders. The implementation advisory committee shall consider at a minimum the following factors in developing its plan for recommendation to the secretary:

(1) The recommended procedures and time lines for the initial year of the merger of the office of mental health and the office for addictive disorders.

(2) The recommended consolidated administrative structure and staffing at the state and regional level.

(3) The recommended mission statement and vision for the office of behavioral health.

(4) The recommended performance measures and expected outcomes for persons with a mental illness or an addictive disorder or co-occurring disorders within the office of behavioral health.

(5) The recommended establishment of a single point of entry for services offered by the office of behavioral health.

(6) The recommended strategy to coordinate with the local human services districts and authorities.

(7) The recommended strategy to coordinate with the addictive disorder and mental health licensing boards and professional services providers to increase access to appropriate behavioral health care services and further workforce development.

(8) The recommended strategy to maximize available state, federal, and grant funding to increase access to appropriate behavioral health care services.

(9) The recommended strategy to coordinate with other state and federal agencies to increase access to appropriate behavioral health care services.

(10) The recommended ongoing internal monitoring upon dissolution of the implementation advisory committee.

D. On or before March 1, 2010, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health shall present the implementation plan for approval by majority vote of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare and the House Committee on Health and Welfare, meeting jointly. Action by the joint committee of health and welfare is limited to approval or disapproval of the implementation plan in its entirety.

Acts 2009, No. 384, §1, eff. July 6, 2009.