Bill > H1005

This bill directs the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS), a state agency overseeing health and human services, to establish a working group focused on improving how healthcare, mental healthcare, and human services are delivered in a "trauma-informed" way in western Massachusetts. Trauma-informed care means understanding and responding to the widespread impact of trauma and recognizing potential paths for recovery, by integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices. This working group will include individuals and organizations involved in direct care and counseling, selected in consultation with various departments and groups like the Department of Mental Health and MassHealth (the state's Medicaid program). The group's task is to develop recommendations for changes to laws and regulations, as well as budget suggestions, to enhance service delivery and outcomes, and they are required to report these findings to specific legislative committees, including the committees on Ways and Means (which deal with state budgets) and Health Care Finance, by July 1, 2016.