SENATE DOCKET, NO. 583        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1268

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Marc R. Pacheco

_________________

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:

 

Marc R. Pacheco

Third Bristol and Plymouth

 

Adam Scanlon

14th Bristol

1/30/2023

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

1/30/2023

Paul R. Feeney

Bristol and Norfolk

1/30/2023

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

2/10/2023

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

2/10/2023

Carol A. Doherty

3rd Bristol

3/23/2023

Pavel M. Payano

First Essex

10/19/2023


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 583        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1268

By Mr. Pacheco, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1268) of Marc R. Pacheco, Adam Scanlon, Jack Patrick Lewis, Paul R. Feeney and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to creating intensive stabilization and treatment units within the Department of Mental Health.  Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 1310 OF 2021-2022.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

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:
 

Chapter 19 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 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.