Bill Text: NY A09332 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides mental telehealth services to children, adolescents, and young adults.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-23 - referred to mental health [A09332 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A09332-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9332

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 23, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. KELLES -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Mental Health

        AN  ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to providing mental
          telehealth services to children, adolescents, and young adults

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  Legislative  findings and intent. The Legislature affirms
     2  the finding of the U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on  Protecting  Youth
     3  Mental  Health that the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered young
     4  peoples' experiences at home, at school, and in the  community  and  has
     5  exacerbated  the  unprecedented stresses young people face. The Legisla-
     6  ture also finds that there exists an obligation to  act  to  assist  our
     7  children  and  their  families  in  this moment of need. The Legislature
     8  intends, then, to provide actionable  solutions  for  young  people  and
     9  their families in support of the mental health of children, adolescents,
    10  and young adults.
    11    § 2. Section 5.05 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new
    12  subdivision (f) to read as follows:
    13    (f) The commissioners of the office of mental health and the office of
    14  addiction  services  and  supports  shall establish a youth mental tele-
    15  health services program to facilitate access to mental health  services,
    16  including substance use disorder services, for youth to respond to iden-
    17  tified mental health needs, including those needs that may have resulted
    18  from  the COVID-19 pandemic, and for youth or families that may not have
    19  access to mental health  professionals  in-person.  Such  program  shall
    20  provide up to five mental telehealth services annually at no cost to the
    21  individual,  for  acute  crisis  response,  mental health assessment, or
    22  initiation of care to reduce barriers and facilitate engagement in long-
    23  term care.
    24    As soon as practicable, but no later than August first,  two  thousand
    25  twenty-two,  the  offices shall enter into an agreement with a vendor to
    26  create, or use an existing,  website  or  web-based  application,  as  a
    27  portal available to youth and providers to facilitate the program.  Such
    28  vendor shall be determined through a competitive bidding process.
    29    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    30  it shall have become a law.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14509-02-2