HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 126        FILED ON: 1/6/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1065

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Patricia A. Haddad

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within the Department of Mental Health.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Patricia A. Haddad

5th Bristol

1/6/2017

Josh S. Cutler

6th Plymouth

 

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

 

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

 

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

 

Jack Lewis

7th Middlesex

 

Natalie Higgins

4th Worcester

 

Daniel M. Donahue

16th Worcester

 

James J. Dwyer

30th Middlesex

 

Diana DiZoglio

14th Essex

 

James R. Miceli

19th Middlesex

 

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

 

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

 

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

 

Thomas P. Walsh

12th Essex

 

Bruce J. Ayers

1st Norfolk

 

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

 

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

 

Daniel Cullinane

12th Suffolk

 

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

 

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

 

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

 

Marc R. Pacheco

First Plymouth and Bristol

 

Thomas J. Calter

12th Plymouth

 

Gerard Cassidy

9th Plymouth

 

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

5th Essex

 

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

 

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

 

James M. Cantwell

4th Plymouth

 

Stephan Hay

3rd Worcester

 

Brendan P. Crighton

Third Essex

 

Barbara A. L'Italien

Second Essex and Middlesex

 

Walter F. Timilty

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth

 

Patrick M. O'Connor

Plymouth and Norfolk

 

Kate D. Campanale

17th Worcester

 

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

 

Paul Tucker

7th Essex

 

John C. Velis

4th Hampden

 

Harold P. Naughton, Jr.

12th Worcester

 

Susannah M. Whipps

2nd Franklin

 

John H. Rogers

12th Norfolk

 

Tackey Chan

2nd Norfolk

 

Carlos González

10th Hampden

 

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

 

Nick Collins

4th Suffolk

 

Shaunna L. O'Connell

3rd Bristol

 


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 126        FILED ON: 1/6/2017

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1065

By Mrs. Haddad of Somerset, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1065) of Patricia A. Haddad and others relative to creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within the Department of Mental Health.  Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

 

An Act relative to creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within the Department of Mental Health.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1: Chapter 19 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2016 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding the following section at the end thereof: -

Section 25. There shall be, within the department of mental health, at least two intensive stabilization and treatment units for patients who exhibit persistently aggressive or self-destructive behavior or exhibit atypically, intensively violent behavior that requires specialized care. One unit shall be designated for men and one unit shall be designated for women.  Said units shall be located at a specific and central location and be secured and physically separate from other units. These units shall provide comprehensive evaluation, stabilization and psychiatric treatment which shall include, but not be limited to: violence assessments, behavioral management consultation, interpersonal conflict resolution strategies, critical incident de-briefings and transfer evaluations.  These units shall include appropriate staffing levels to address the needs of the patient population with an interdisciplinary staff, including but not limited to registered nurses, clinical social workers, mental health workers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and rehabilitation specialists, who have undergone specialized training to work effectively with this patient population. Upon behavior stabilization, the staff on the unit shall develop a plan for the safe and timely transfer of the patient out of the intensive stabilization and treatment unit.