HB 809 -- Children's Mental Health Service System

Sponsor:  Bean

This bill establishes a comprehensive mental health service
system for children.

The system will be required to:

(1)  Be child centered, family focused, and family driven.  The
needs of the child and family will dictate the types and mix of
services provided;

(2)  Provide community-based mental health services to children
and their families;

(3)  Respond in a culturally competent and responsive manner;

(4)  Stress prevention, early identification, and intervention;

(5)  Assure access to a continuum of services;

(6)  Include early screening services;

(7)  Address problems associated with paying for mental health
services for children; and

(8)  Assure a smooth transition from mental health services
appropriate for children to mental health services needed by
persons at least 19 years of age.

The bill also requires:

(1)  Mental health services to be included under the Medicaid
Program if services are provided by an eligible system of a care
provider;

(2)  The Department of Mental Health, in collaboration with the
Division of Medical Services in the Department of Social
Services, to establish by rule, the definition and criteria for
designation of a community-based service;

(3)  The Department of Social Services to conduct research into
all child custody cases in order to determine the needs of mental
health services and the absence of child abuse, neglect, or
abandonment;

(4)  Children in need of mental health services to receive those
services in the least restrictive and appropriate environment if
the children are returned to a family's custody by a judge; and

(5)  The Division of Family Services to apply for federal
waivers, including home and community-based waivers, from the
U. S. Department of Health and Human Services in order to provide
services to children.

Missouri House of Representatives
92nd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated September 23, 2004 at 11:13 am