43-4002. Children's Behavioral Health Task Force; prepare children's behavioral health plan; contents; department; duties; implementation.

(1) The Children's Behavioral Health Task Force, under the direction of and in consultation with the Health and Human Services Committee of the Legislature and the Department of Health and Human Services, shall prepare a children's behavioral health plan and shall submit such plan to the Governor and the committee on or before December 4, 2007. The scope of the plan shall include juveniles accessing public behavioral health resources.

(2) The plan shall include, but not be limited to:

(a) Plans for the development of a statewide integrated system of care to provide appropriate educational, behavioral health, substance abuse, and support services to children and their families. The integrated system of care should serve both adjudicated and nonadjudicated juveniles with behavioral health or substance abuse issues;

(b) Plans for the development of community-based inpatient and subacute substance abuse and behavioral health services and the allocation of funding for such services to the community pursuant to subdivision (4) of section 43-406;

(c) Strategies for effectively serving juveniles assessed in need of substance abuse or behavioral health services upon release from the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center-Kearney or Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center-Geneva;

(d) Plans for the development of needed capacity for the provision of community-based substance abuse and behavioral health services for children;

(e) Strategies and mechanisms for the integration of federal, state, local, and other funding sources for the provision of community-based substance abuse and behavioral health services for children;

(f) Measurable benchmarks and timelines for the development of a more comprehensive and integrated system of substance abuse and behavioral health services for children;

(g) Identification of necessary and appropriate statutory changes for consideration by the Legislature; and

(h) Development of a plan for a data and information system for all children receiving substance abuse and behavioral health services shared among all parties involved in the provision of services for children.

(3) The department shall provide a written implementation and appropriations plan for the children's behavioral health plan to the Governor and the committee by January 4, 2008. The chairperson of the Health and Human Services Committee of the Legislature shall prepare legislation or amendments to legislation to implement this subsection for introduction in the 2008 legislative session.

Source