A bill that establishes community based residential treatment facilities for behavioral health patients has advanced out of the House and is now in the Senate. 2SHB 1394 sponsored by Rep. Joe Schmick (R-Colfax) is part of Governor Jay Inslee’s behavioral health package.
The legislation:
- Establishes a pilot program for mental health drop-in centers and requires the Health Care Authority to submit reports on the results to the Governor and the appropriate committees of the Legislature by December 1, 2020, and December 1, 2021.
- Directs the Health Care Authority to assess the capacity of hospitals and evaluation and treatment facilities to become credentialed to provide long-term mental health placements and to contract with those hospitals and evaluation and treatment facilities that choose to provide such services.
- Suspends certificate of need requirements for certain hospitals that are either adding new psychiatric beds, changing the use of current beds to psychiatric uses, or constructing new psychiatric hospitals.
2SHB 1394 passed the House unanimously and is now in the Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee.