(a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services may contract with one or more nonprofit organizations to operate as regional behavioral health action organizations, one for each mental health region in the state, designated pursuant to section 17a-478. Each regional behavioral health action organization shall serve as a strategic community partner responsible for behavioral health planning, behavioral health education, coordination of prevention of behavioral health issues, promotion of behavioral health and advocacy for behavioral health needs and services within its mental health region.

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(b) The duties of each regional behavioral health action organization, within its mental health region, shall include, but need not be limited to: (1) Assessing the behavioral health needs of children, adolescents and adults across the region and engaging with stakeholders to identify needs, problems, barriers and gaps in the behavioral health service continuum, (2) enhancing the capacity of local communities to understand and address problem gambling, (3) raising awareness and advocating for the general public for mental health promotion and substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery, (4) receiving and expanding federal, state and local funds and leveraging funds to support behavioral health promotion, prevention, treatment and recovery activities, (5) serving on local, regional and state advisory and planning bodies, (6) within available appropriations, providing training in the administration of an opioid antagonist, as defined in section 17a-714a, and distributing supplies of opioid antagonists to communities, (7) reporting community needs, program review findings and conclusions annually to the relevant local, regional and state stakeholders with recommendations for the establishment, modification or expansion of behavioral health services within the mental health region, and (8) serving as the regional partner responsible for coordinating and aligning federal, state, regional and local behavioral health initiatives.

(c) To carry out the duties described in subsection (b) of this section, each regional behavioral health action organization shall solicit advice and input from community members, including, but not limited to, elected officials, parents, youth, faith-based organizations, law enforcement professionals or organizations, health care professionals, persons with lived experience of behavioral health issues, family members with lived experience of behavioral health issues, behavioral health treatment providers, businesses, youth-serving organizations, civic or fraternal groups, educational organizations, media organizations and other interested persons or organizations.