Establishes a support team assisted response pilot program in any city with a population of one million or more for the purpose of providing emergency response services for mental health, substance use and other non-criminal public health emergencies.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7921
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
August 4, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing a
support team assisted response pilot program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
2 7.51 to read as follows:
3 § 7.51 Support team assisted response pilot program.
4 (a) The commissioner, in consultation with the commissioner of crimi-
5 nal justice services, commissioner of health, New York state emergency
6 medical services council and local authorities, shall establish a
7 support team assisted response pilot program in any city with a popu-
8 lation of one million or more for the purpose of providing emergency
9 response services for mental health, substance use and other public
10 health emergencies. Such pilot program shall:
11 (i) establish a process where mental health professionals and emergen-
12 cy medical technicians are dispatched by the 911 emergency assistance
13 system to provide free medical care, first aid, or mental health support
14 for non-criminal emergencies including but not limited to overdoses,
15 suicidal individuals, individuals experiencing mental health crises, and
16 intoxication;
17 (ii) establish a training program for such mental health professionals
18 and emergency medical technicians to respond to such non-criminal emer-
19 gencies; and
20 (iii) coordinate activities and promote cooperation and collaboration
21 between the office, program participants and the local community.
22 (b) Eighteen months after the effective date of this section, the
23 commissioner shall submit a report to the governor, the temporary presi-
24 dent of the senate and the speaker of the assembly on the effectiveness
25 of this pilot program. Such report shall include:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09794-01-3
A. 7921 2
1 (i) a review of all agencies that have participated in the program and
2 the number of individuals that have completed training;
3 (ii) an analysis of the impact of the program on local communities
4 including the number of times participants have been dispatched, the
5 types of emergency calls, the care provided and the outcomes of such
6 emergency calls;
7 (iii) an analysis of any logistical challenges and the costs associ-
8 ated with such program and recommendations for improvement;
9 (iv) a plan for statewide expansion of the program; and
10 (v) any recommendations for additional legislative enactments that may
11 be needed or required, to improve, enhance and subsequently expand the
12 program as determined to be appropriate by the commissioner.
13 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
14 have become a law.
