HB3146 HD1

SECTION 1. This Act is recommended by the governor for immediate passage in accordance with section 9 of article VII of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii.

SECTION 2. Although funds were appropriated to the department of health for adult mental health services for the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30, 2008, a critical funding emergency now exists. The program will expend all appropriated funds before the end of the current fiscal year, and the department will be unable to meet its fiscal obligation to provide services to certain adults with severe mental illness.

The adult mental health division serves a continuously increasing number of eligible mental health consumers. Concurrently throughout the year, the adult mental health division has increased its related services in the areas of case management, crisis services, treatment services, rehabilitation services, and housing. This emergency increase is to continue existing services to meet the needs of the expanding eligible population and to continue funding of required services developed during the fiscal year.

An emergency appropriation is also needed as the one-time Medicaid Rehab Option retroactive billing opportunity has passed, resulting in a deficit in federal matching funds. Additional emergency funding is also required to address higher operational costs at the Hawaii state hospital as a result of an increased census.

A severe shortage of mental health specialists available to provide critical psychiatric services, particularly in rural communities and neighbor islands, has created an extremely volatile situation necessitating emergency appropriations. A psychiatric health services pilot project is urgently needed to provide an integrated behavioral model at the Bay Clinic, West Hawaii community health center, and other federally qualified community health centers on the island of Hawaii to provide:

(1) Collaborative relationships between psychiatrists and primary care physicians to treat these patients; and

(2) A mental health team to provide patients with necessary mental health care.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate emergency funds for:

(1) Ongoing services of the adult mental health division, revenue shortfall;

(2) Operational costs at the Hawaii state hospital; and

(3) The establishment and implementation of a psychiatric health services pilot project.

SECTION 3. Psychiatric health services; pilot project; expansion. There is established within the department of health's adult mental health division for administrative purposes the psychiatric health services pilot project to enable psychiatrists to collaborate with primary care physicians and a mental health team at the Bay Clinic, West Hawaii community health center, and any other federally qualified health centers on the island of Hawaii to provide patients with needed psychiatric health care. The pilot program shall provide two psychiatrists and a licensed clinical social worker to work with existing mental health providers at participating health centers to treat any patient in need of psychiatric services.

The department of health's adult mental health division shall submit an annual report to the legislature on the pilot program no later than January 15, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. The initial report shall include funding proposals for the pilot program for the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium as well as any proposed legislation.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $10,300,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 to be spent as follows:

(1) $10,000,000 for ongoing services provided by the adult mental health division, revenue shortfall, and operational costs at the Hawaii state hospital; and

(2) $300,000 for the establishment and implementation of the psychiatric health services pilot project.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that section 3 of this Act shall be repealed on June 30, 2011.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	3146
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII