Bill > HB593

This bill establishes a pilot program within Hawaii's Department of Health to provide intensive mobile treatment services for chronically homeless adults with serious mental health conditions, specifically focusing on individuals with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. The program will create one mobile team that can manage up to 40 participants, offering comprehensive services including after-hours crisis response, emergency room visits, collaboration with law enforcement, medication management, and pursuit of community treatment orders. The team will also prioritize housing placements for participants and include professionals such as social workers, a psychiatrist, a registered nurse, and a program specialist. The mobile team will bill third-party payors and collaborate with various stakeholders like hospitals, courts, and mental health providers. The Department of Health is required to submit detailed reports to the legislature in 2026 and 2027, tracking metrics such as participant arrests, hospitalizations, housing placements, and medication initiation. The pilot program will be funded with $1,300,000 for each of two fiscal years and will operate from July 1, 2025, until June 30, 2028, with the goal of providing intensive, community-based mental health support to a vulnerable population.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=593&year=2026