Budget Amendment ID: FY2022-S3-545

EHS 545

Innovations to Address Emergency Department Boarding

Ms. Lovely, Ms. Gobi, Ms. DiZoglio, Messrs. Lesser, Timilty, Tarr, O'Connor, Gomez and Cyr and Ms. Comerford moved that the proposed new text be amended in section 2, in item XXXX-XXXX, by inserting after item 4000-0051 the following new item:-

XXXX-XXXX For grants administered by the executive office of health and human services to address emergency department boarding through 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 2021; 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 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; 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 provided further, that not later than April 1, 2022, the executive office of health and human services shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on health care financing and the joint committee on mental health, substance use and recovery detailing the: (i) funds distributed, delineated by recipient; (ii) description of workforce recruitment and hiring efforts by recipient to support the creation and maintenance of  beds and; (iii) projected staffing needs to support new and existing beds in fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024; and (iv) the impact of rate incentives for beds made operational in calendar year 2021 on the sustainability of those beds……………….$5,000,000