S722

An Act establishing the Crisis Response Support Program in the Department of Health, supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. There is established in the Department of Health a Crisis Response Support Program. The purpose of the program shall be to provide support to police departments or forces in the State when responding to a call that involves a person who is suffering from a mental health condition or substance use disorder and is in crisis.

b. The county prosecutor's office in each county shall designate a crisis response support coordinator who shall be responsible for coordinating with the Commissioner of Health to develop procedures for implementing the Crisis Response Support Program established pursuant to this section.

c. Each municipality or county shall contract with a nonprofit mental health service provider to provide support to the police department or force in the municipality or county when responding to a call that involves a person who is suffering from a mental health condition or substance use disorder and is in crisis. The provider shall be contracted to provide support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The municipality or county shall provide information concerning the mental health service provider to the appropriate county crisis response support coordinator.

d. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the county crisis response support coordinators, shall establish guidelines for the implementation of the program.

e. The governing body of a municipality or county shall provide documentation of the costs incurred to implement the Crisis Response Support Program to the Commissioner of Health. The Department of Health shall reimburse each municipality or county for the documented costs associated with implementing the program.

2. The Commissioner of Health shall, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health the sum of $2,000,000 to effectuate the provisions of this act. The Commissioner of Health may seek assistance from the federal government, private foundations, and any other source to fund the Crisis Response Support Program established pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the seventh month following enactment, except the Commissioner of Health may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of this act.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes the Crisis Response Support Program in the Department of Health to establish a mental health service provider support system to police departments or forces responding to certain emergencies and appropriates $2,000,000.

The bill establishes a Crisis Response Support Program in the Department of Health, with the purpose of providing police departments or forces in the State with access to mental health services when responding to a call that involves a person who is suffering from a mental health condition or substance use disorder and is in crisis.

Under the bill, the county prosecutor's office in each county is required to designate a crisis response support coordinator, who is responsible for coordinating with the Commissioner of Health to develop procedures for implementing the Crisis Response Support Program established under the bill.

The provisions of the bill require each municipality or county to contract with a nonprofit mental health service provider to provide support to police departments or forces in the municipality or county when responding to a call that involves a person who is suffering from a mental health condition or substance use disorder and is in crisis. The provider shall be contracted to provide support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The municipality or county is then required to provide information concerning the mental health service provider to the appropriate county crisis response support coordinator. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the county crisis response support coordinators, is required to establish guidelines for the implementation of the program.

The governing body of a municipality or county is to provide documentation of the costs incurred to implement the Crisis Response Support Program to the Commissioner of Health. The Department of Health is required to reimburse each municipality or county for the documented costs associated with implementing the program.

The bill appropriates $2,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Health to effectuate the provisions of this bill. The bill also authorizes the Commissioner of Health to seek assistance from the federal government, private foundations, and any other source to fund the Crisis Response Support Program.