HOUSE  .   .   .   .   .   .   .  No. 4177

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, November 6, 2019.                         

The committee on Ways and Means, to whom was referred the Bill relative to the training of higher education counselors in PTSD (House, No. 3897), reports recommending that the same ought to pass with an amendment substituting therefor the accompanying bill (House, No. 4177).

For the committee,

AARON MICHLEWITZ.

        FILED ON: 11/6/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4177

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

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An Act relative to the training of higher education counselors on deployment-related health conditions.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to establish forthwith higher education counselors for deployment-related health conditions, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public 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 75 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 34A the following section:-

Section 34B. (a) The University of Massachusetts medical school shall develop a continuing education program on deployment-related health conditions. The training and curriculum for the program shall include education on the following: (i) symptoms of deployment-related health conditions, including but not limited to depression, suicidal ideation, insomnia, substance use disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder; (ii) deployment cycle stressors for students who are service members and veterans; (iii) military culture and its influence on the psychology of service members and veterans; (iv) outreach strategies for available administrative, non-clinical and clinical services; and (v) available resources and methods of referral for the treatment of deployment-related health conditions.

(b) The University of Massachusetts medical school shall establish any schedule it deems necessary to ensure that clinical and non-clinical counselors serving public institutions of higher education, as provided in section 5 of chapter 15A, complete the continuing education program.

(c) For the purposes of this section, clinical and non-clinical counselors shall include, but not be limited to, staff and faculty in admissions offices, counseling centers, health services and academic advising centers.

SECTION 2. The University of Massachusetts medical school shall develop the continuing education program on deployment-related health conditions, including the curriculum required by section 34B of chapter 75 of the General Laws, within 180 days after passage of this act.