What's happening
This bill expands the responsibilities of the interagency geriatric mental health planning council to address a broader range of mental health and related issues for older adults.
Why it matters
Broadens the council's focus beyond just mental health and chemical dependence. to include issues like community integration, quality improvement, and connections between mental health and physical health care for older adults.
Mandates (rather than just allows) the council to address a much wider range of topics. , such as Medicaid redesign, housing and long-term care alternatives, and the development of family support initiatives—potentially leading to more comprehensive policy recommendations.
Highlights the need for culturally and linguistically competent care. , including increasing the number of behavioral health professionals who speak underrepresented languages, even by adjusting licensing requirements, which could improve services for diverse older adult populations.
Emphasizes the importance of updated training, technology, and workforce development. (such as tele-mental health services and generationally competent training), aiming to address gaps in care, suicide risk, and the shortage of in-home services for seniors with mental health needs.
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Who cares
Older adults with mental health and substance use needs
The bill would require the council’s annual recommendations to address suicide risk, tele-mental health services and shortages of in-home services for people with mental disorders.
Long-term care providers and managed long-term care plans
Required recommendations would cover treatment of people with behavioral disorders, behavioral health training in long-term care and behavioral health coverage in managed long-term care.
Family caregivers
The council would have to address family support and the development of family support initiatives in its annual recommendations.
Behavioral health professionals serving underrepresented language communities
The council would have to address expanding this workforce, including through different licensing requirements for prospective licensees who speak underrepresented languages.
Headline styles
Expand Senior Mental Health Council
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 62
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to mental health and developmental disabilities
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
8159
IN SENATE
April 11, 2018
Introduced by Sens. ORTT, SERINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
AN ACT to amend the geriatric mental health act, in relation to expanding the scope of the interagency geriatric mental health planning council
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision (c) of section 3 of chapter 568 of the laws of 2005, constituting the geriatric mental health act, as amended by chapter 203 of the laws of 2008, is amended to read as follows:
(c) The council shall meet as often as necessary, but not less than four times per calendar year, to develop annual recommendations, to be submitted to the commissioner of mental health, the commissioner of alcoholism and substance abuse services, the director of the division of veterans' affairs, the adjutant general and the director of the state office for the aging, regarding geriatric mental health and chemical dependence needs. Such recommendations [may] shall address issues which include, but are not limited to: community integration, quality improvement, integration of mental health services with services to address alcoholism, drug abuse, [and] health care needs, workforce development, family support [and], the development of family support initiatives, finance, the impact of Medicaid redesign, mental health housing programs and community based long-term care alternatives for those with co-occurring psychiatric disabilities and chronic physical illness or disabilities, certified community behavioral health clinic demonstration sites, the treatment of those with behavioral disorders in long-term care, the development of behavioral health training programs in long-term care, behavioral health coverage in the managed long-term care program, the shortage of in-home services for those with mental disorders including changing Medicaid rules regarding payment for in-home services, the use of technology, tele-mental health services, suicide risk, and building a generationally competent behavioral health workforce through training programs and increasing the number of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14206-01-8
S. 8159 2
licensed behavioral health professionals who speak underrepresented languages including through the use of different licensing requirements where a potential licensee speaks an underrepresented language.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the geriatric mental health act, in relation to expanding the scope of the interagency geriatric mental health planning council
Purpose
This legislation expands the duties and powers of the geriatric mental health planning council.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amends subdivision (c)of section 3 of chapter 568 of the laws of 2005 as amended by chapter 203 of the laws of 2008 to expand the duties of the geriatric mental health planning council.
Section 2 is the effective date.
Justification
The geriatric mental health planning council works to address the mental health concerns of New York's older population. For these reasons the Council plays an important role in shaping mental health policy for older New Yorkers and we should be expanding the areas of interest that they are to consider in order to formulate a more robust collection of policy proposals. This legislation seeks to take and expand the impor- tant role they play.
Legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.