HB5111 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB100 19028 RLC 34282 b

100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2017 and 2018
HB5111

Introduced , by Rep. Lou Lang

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Behavioral Health Workforce Act. Creates the Behavioral Health Education Center, administered by a teaching or research State university, or both. Provides that the Center shall be operational on or before July 1, 2019. Provides that the Center shall: (1) provide funds for 2 additional medical residents in a State-based psychiatry program each year beginning July 1, 2019 until a total of 8 additional psychiatry residents are added in 2022; (2) provide funds for 5 one-year doctoral-level psychology internships, master social workers, and master level clinical professional counselors in this State within 12 months after the effective date of this Act and every year thereafter and increase the number of interns in the program to 10 within 36 months after the effective date of this Act. Provides that the interns shall be placed in communities so as to increase access to behavioral health services for patients residing in rural and underserved areas of this State; and (3) beginning July 1, 2020, develop 5 behavioral health interdisciplinary training sites each year until a total of 20 sites have been developed. Provides that 10 of the 20 sites shall be in counties with a population of fewer than 50,000 inhabitants. Requires the Center to perform other duties. Provides that no later than December 1 of every odd-numbered year, the Center shall prepare a report of its activities under the Behavioral Health Workforce Act. Provides that the report shall be filed electronically with the General Assembly and shall be provided electronically to any member of the General Assembly upon request.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning health.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Behavioral Health Workforce Act.

Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that there are insufficient behavioral health professionals in this State's behavioral health workforce and further that there are insufficient behavioral health professionals trained in evidence-based practices. This workforce shortage leads to inadequate accessibility and response to the behavioral health needs of persons residing in this State of all ages, children, adolescents, and adults. These shortages have led to well-documented problems of consumers waiting for long periods of time because care is not available. As a result, individuals with mental illness or substance use disorders end up in hospital emergency rooms which are the most expensive level of care or are incarcerated and do not receive adequate care, if any. As this State moves individuals from institutions to community care to keep them more closely connected with their families and communities, the behavioral health services workforce shortage is increasingly felt by the inability to hire and retain behavioral health professionals in this State. The purpose of this Act is to improve community-based behavioral health services for persons residing in this State and to increase the number of behavioral health professionals and train these professionals in evidence-based practices that will improve the quality of care, including utilizing the existing infrastructure and telehealth services which will expand outreach to more rural and underserved areas in this State.

Section 10. Behavioral Health Education Center; creation; duties.

(a) The Behavioral Health Education Center is created and shall be administered by a teaching or research State university, or both. The Center shall be operational on or before July 1, 2019.

(b) The Center shall:

(1) provide funds for 2 additional medical residents in a State-based psychiatry program each year beginning July 1, 2019 until a total of 8 additional psychiatry residents are added in 2022. The Center shall provide psychiatric residency training experiences that serve rural areas of this State and other underserved areas. As part of his or her residency training experiences, each Center-funded resident shall participate in the rural training for a minimum of one year. A minimum of 2 of the 8 Center-funded residents shall be active in the rural training each year;

(2) provide funds for 5 one-year doctoral-level psychology internships, master social workers, and master level clinical professional counselors in this State within 12 months after the effective date of this Act and every year thereafter and increase the number of interns in the program to 10 within 36 months after the effective date of this Act. The interns shall be placed in communities so as to increase access to behavioral health services for patients residing in rural and underserved areas of this State;

(3) focus on the training of behavioral health professionals in telehealth techniques, including taking advantage of a telehealth network that exists, and other innovative means of care delivery in order to increase access to behavioral health services for all persons within this State;

(4) analyze the geographic and demographic availability of this State's behavioral health professionals, including psychiatrists, social workers, community rehabilitation workers, psychologists, substance abuse counselors, licensed mental health practitioners, behavioral analysts, peer support providers, nurse practitioners, psychiatric-mental health nurses, and physician assistants;

(5) prioritize the need for additional professionals by type and location;

(6) establish learning collaborative partnerships with other higher education institutions in this State, hospitals, law enforcement, community-based agencies, and consumers and their families in order to develop evidence-based, recovery-focused, interdisciplinary curricula and training for behavioral health professionals delivering behavioral health services in community-based agencies, hospitals, and law enforcement. Development and dissemination of the curricula and training shall address the identified priority needs for behavioral health professionals; and

(7) beginning July 1, 2020, develop 5 behavioral health interdisciplinary training sites each year until a total of 20 sites have been developed. Ten of the 20 sites shall be in counties with a population of fewer than 50,000 inhabitants. Each site shall provide annual training opportunities for a minimum of 3 behavioral health professionals.

(c) No later than December 1 of every odd-numbered year, the Center shall prepare a report of its activities under this Act. The report shall be filed electronically with the General Assembly, as provided under Section 3.1 of the General Assembly Organization Act, and shall be provided electronically to any member of the General Assembly upon request.