SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2068        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1275

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Julian Cyr

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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 establishing an Office of Behavioral Health Promotion.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 2068        FILED ON: 2/19/2021

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1275

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)

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An Act establishing an Office of Behavioral Health Promotion.

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 6A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after Section 16BB the following new section:-

Section 16CC. (a) There shall be an office of behavioral health promotion within the executive office of health and human services. The office shall be under the supervision and control of a director of behavioral health promotion who shall be appointed by and shall report to the secretary of health and human services. 

(b) The office shall coordinate all activities of the commonwealth to promote the mental, emotional, and behavioral health and wellness of all residents. The office shall set goals for the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental health and substance use conditions. The office shall fully integrate health equity principles and apply a health equity lens to all its work. The office will prepare and implement an annual plan for the commonwealth. 

The office shall collaborate with the executive offices, state agencies, independent agencies, and state commissions, including but not limited to, the executive office of health and human services, the executive office of education, the executive office of elder affairs, the department of mental health, department of public health, department of children and families, department of veterans’ services, department of early education and care, department of elementary and secondary education, office for refugees and immigrants, office of health equity, office of the child advocate, and the Massachusetts commission on LGBTQ youth. The office shall facilitate communication and partnership between these entities to develop greater understanding of the intersections between agency activities and behavioral health promotion and illness prevention. 

(c) The office shall: (1) facilitate the development of interagency initiatives that are informed by the science of promotion and prevention, advance health equity and trauma-informed care, and address the social determinants of health; (2) develop and implement a comprehensive plan to strengthen community and state-level promotion and prevention programming and infrastructure through training, technical assistance, resource development and dissemination, and other initiatives; (3) advance the identification and dissemination of evidence-based and promising practices designed to further behavioral health promotion and prevent mental health and substance use conditions and associated disability; (4) collect and analyze data measuring population-based indicators of behavioral health from existing data sources, track changes over time, and make programming and policy recommendations to address the needs of populations at greatest risk; (4) coordinate the behavioral health promotion and wellness programs, campaigns, and initiatives of the Commonwealth; and (5) provide staffing support for the community behavioral health promotion and prevention commission, established in Massachusetts General Laws, Part 1, Title II, Chapter 6, Section 219. The office may enter into service agreements with the department of mental health or the department of public health to fulfill the obligations of the office.

(d) The office shall prepare an annual report to evaluate its progress, and the overall progress of the Commonwealth, toward promoting mental, emotional, and behavioral wellness, and preventing mental health and substance use conditions using, where possible, quantifiable measures and comparative benchmarks. The report shall be filed with the governor, the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, and the chairs of the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery not later than July 1. The report shall be posted on the official website of the commonwealth.

(e) The secretary of the executive office of health and human services may expend revenue generated from section 27 of chapter 133 of the acts of 2019 for any operating costs associated with the office of behavioral health promotion.