Amendment #1499 to H4700

Behavioral Health Innovation Fund

Ms. Decker of Cambridge moves to amend the bill in Section 2, in line item 4513-2020, by striking the figures "$2,500,000" and inserting in place thereof the figures "$10,000,000";  and in said item by striking the words " staffing investments and rate incentives associated with fully operationalizing inpatient mental health acute care beds and intensive inpatient psychiatric beds, intensive community based acute treatment, community based acute treatment and partial hospitalization capacity; provided that said grants may be utilized to maintain rate incentives for beds made operational in calendar year 2022; provided further, that priority shall be given to grants that support services and staff needs for children and adolescents; provided further, that staffing investments shall include sufficient funding for culturally and linguistically-competent workforce recruitment, retention and training including, but not limited to, loan repayment programs and hiring and retention incentives to support the full spectrum of hospital-based behavioral health providers including, but not limited to, psychiatrists, mental health workers, social workers, registered nurses, certified nursing assistants and sitters; provided further, that priority shall be given to grants that support new beds that would be located in underserved areas of the commonwealth; and provided further, that funds may be expended for investments in crisis stabilization services for patients who are boarding, including, but not limited to, de-escalation training for clinical and ancillary staff " and inserting in place thereof the following;  "grants administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to support behavioral health workforce, programs, and pilot initiatives necessary to expand upon and maintain behavioral health acute care beds and intensive community based treatment alternatives in order to enable individuals to be diverted from hospitals or those boarding in hospitals to be discharged, including but not limited to inpatient services, community based acute treatment, crisis stabilization services, pediatric and adult respite, hospital diversion programs, and virtual or in-person partial hospitalization capacity through rate incentives in the Commonwealth; provided further that priority shall be given to grants that support children and adolescent behavioral health; provided further that funds shall be inclusive of workforce recruitment and training, and other funds necessary to expand acute behavioral health support with the goal of reducing emergency department boarding; provided further that funds may be expended for investments including but not limited to crisis stabilization services for children and adults who are boarding, telehealth devices, specialized training for clinical and ancillary staff including in community crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques, and for capital and operational funds for acute care hospitals to develop and maintain needed services for psychiatric patients while they are in emergency departments or medical-surgical units in order to receive inpatient psychiatric services, including but not limited to investments in surge space and group therapy spaces in emergency department and medical-surgical settings"; and in said item by striking out the figures "$12,533,530" and inserting in place thereof the figures "$20,033,530"

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #1499 to H4700

Behavioral Health Innovation Fund