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Assembly Bill A7878

2009-2010 Legislative Session

Makes provisions regarding safety of certain employees of the office of mental health, including certain staffing ratios and filling of staff vacancies

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Archive: Last Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

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2009-A7878 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Senate Version of this Bill:
S3216
Current Committee:
Assembly Mental Health
Law Section:
Mental Hygiene Law
Laws Affected:
Amd ยง7.25, Ment Hyg L
Versions Introduced in 2011-2012 Legislative Session:
A376, S196

2009-A7878 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Makes provisions regarding safety of certain employees of the office of mental health: provides that the commissioner of the office of mental health shall direct that in outpatient programs no employee shall be required to enter the residence of a person with a serious mental illness unless said employee is accompanied by at least one other employee of the office of mental health; provides that the commissioner shall also direct that all such employees shall, when they are required to enter the residence of a recipient of services, be supplied with a wireless telephone or comparable device for the purposes of emergency communications; provides that the commissioner shall direct that employees serving as intensive case managers receive annual training in safety measures and violence prevention and that the commissioner shall insure the availability of such training; provides that funds appropriated for the operation of outpatient programs shall be expended to insure that there shall be at least one intensive case manager for each twelve persons receiving such services, and that there shall be no more than twelve persons receiving services from any one assertive case management team

2009-A7878 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  7878

                       2009-2010 Regular Sessions

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                             April 28, 2009
                               ___________

Introduced  by M. of A. HOYT, SCHROEDER -- read once and referred to the
  Committee on Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Developmental Disa-
  bilities

AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to safety provisions
  for employees of the office of mental health

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section 1. Section 7.25 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
two new subdivisions (c) and (d) to read as follows:
  (C) IN ANY OUTPATIENT PROGRAM STAFFED IN WHOLE OR IN PART BY EMPLOYEES
OF  THE  OFFICE  OF MENTAL HEALTH, THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DIRECT THAT NO
EMPLOYEE SHALL BE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE  RESIDENCE  OF  A  RECIPIENT  OF
SERVICES  WHO  IS  A  PERSON  WITH  SERIOUS MENTAL ILLNESS AS DEFINED IN
SUBDIVISION FIFTY-TWO OF  SECTION  1.03  OF  THIS  CHAPTER  UNLESS  SUCH
EMPLOYEE  IS  ACCOMPANIED BY AT LEAST ONE OTHER EMPLOYEE OF THE PROGRAM,
OR OTHER APPROPRIATE PERSON.  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL  ALSO  DIRECT  THAT
ALL  SUCH EMPLOYEES SHALL, WHEN THEY ARE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE RESIDENCE
OF A RECIPIENT OF SERVICES, BE SUPPLIED WITH  A  WIRELESS  TELEPHONE  OR
COMPARABLE DEVICE FOR THE PURPOSES OF EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS.
  (D)  THE COMMISSIONER SHALL DIRECT THAT ALL EMPLOYEES OF THE OFFICE OF
MENTAL HEALTH SERVING AS INTENSIVE CASE MANAGERS  SHALL  RECEIVE  ANNUAL
TRAINING  IN  SAFETY  AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SHALL INSURE THAT SUCH
TRAINING IS MADE AVAILABLE BY THE OFFICE  AFTER  CONSULTATION  WITH  THE
EMPLOYEE  ORGANIZATIONS  REPRESENTING SUCH EMPLOYEES. FUNDS APPROPRIATED
TO THE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH FOR THE OPERATION OF OUTPATIENT  PROGRAMS
SHALL  BE  EXPENDED BY THE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH TO INSURE THAT SUFFI-
CIENT STAFF SHALL BE EMPLOYED AS INTENSIVE CASE MANAGERS TO INSURE  THAT
THERE  SHALL BE NO FEWER THAN ONE INTENSIVE CASE MANAGER FOR EACH TWELVE
PERSONS RECEIVING SERVICES OF INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT; AND IN THE CASE
OF ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY TREATMENT TEAMS THE SAME STAFF TO CONSUMER  RATIO
SHALL  BE  MAINTAINED.    IN  THE  EVENT ANY SUCH STAFF POSITIONS BECOME

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD06146-01-9

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