Bill > S3162

Introduced Session

This bill expands the Early Intervention Support Services (EISS) Programs, currently available in 11 counties (Atlantic, Bergen, Camden, Cumberland, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, Morris, and Ocean), to provide for one program in each county in the State. An EISS program is defined in the bill as a program that provides rapid access to short term, recovery-oriented crisis intervention and crisis stabilization services for up to 30 days to an individual 21 years of age or older with a serious mental illness and includes, but is not limited to, medication, therapy, and case management services, which are offered at an on-site location, other than a hospital, or through outreach in the community. EISS Programs are designed to provide the crisis intervention and stabilization services needed to help prevent the recurrence of a crisis and to reduce overutilization of hospital emergency departments for a behavioral health crisis. The bill provides that each EISS program is to be available to provide services 14 hours per day, seven days a week. Additionally, the Department of Human Services (DHS) is to coordinate with each county Early Intervention Support Services Program in the State to provide for education about the program, and accessibility to the program, to members of the public served by that county program and to those organizations or persons who may be the source of referrals to that program. The bill also requires DHS to utilize the moneys available to it for the program to ensure that funding is available for: expanding the program to each county in the State; and the expansion of a program in existence on the effective date of this bill, based on the needs of the program. Lastly, the bill requires DHS to collect information from each EISS Program in the State. The information would include, but not be limited to, information about the services provided by the program, the utilization of services, and the number of individuals who have been stabilized and referred to treatment in the community. DHS is to issue annual reports, based on the information collected, which would include a review and analysis of the programs in the State and any recommendations for improvements to the program.

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Fred Madden (D)*,  Joe Vitale (D)*, 

Senate Amendment (28-0) (Vitale) (on 12/07/2017)