Subdivision 1.Availability of emergency services.

(a) County boards must provide or contract for enough emergency services within the county to meet the needs of adults, children, and families in the county who are experiencing an emotional crisis or mental illness. Emergency service providers must not delay the timely provision of emergency services to a client because of the unwillingness or inability of the client to pay for services. Emergency services must include assessment, crisis intervention, and appropriate case disposition. Emergency services must:

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(1) promote the safety and emotional stability of each client;

(2) minimize further deterioration of each client;

(3) help each client to obtain ongoing care and treatment;

(4) prevent placement in settings that are more intensive, costly, or restrictive than necessary and appropriate to meet client needs; and

(5) provide support, psychoeducation, and referrals to each client’s family members, service providers, and other third parties on behalf of the client in need of emergency services.

(b) If a county provides engagement services under section 253B.041, the county’s emergency service providers must refer clients to engagement services when the client meets the criteria for engagement services.

Subd. 2.Specific requirements.

(a) The county board shall require that all service providers of emergency services to adults with mental illness provide immediate direct access to a mental health professional during regular business hours. For evenings, weekends, and holidays, the service may be by direct toll-free telephone access to a mental health professional, clinical trainee, or mental health practitioner.

(b) The commissioner may waive the requirement in paragraph (a) that the evening, weekend, and holiday service be provided by a mental health professional, clinical trainee, or mental health practitioner if the county documents that:

(1) mental health professionals, clinical trainees, or mental health practitioners are unavailable to provide this service;

(2) services are provided by a designated person with training in human services who receives treatment supervision from a mental health professional; and

(3) the service provider is not also the provider of fire and public safety emergency services.

(c) The commissioner may waive the requirement in paragraph (b), clause (3), that the evening, weekend, and holiday service not be provided by the provider of fire and public safety emergency services if:

(1) every person who will be providing the first telephone contact has received at least eight hours of training on emergency mental health services approved by the commissioner;

(2) every person who will be providing the first telephone contact will annually receive at least four hours of continued training on emergency mental health services approved by the commissioner;

(3) the local social service agency has provided public education about available emergency mental health services and can assure potential users of emergency services that their calls will be handled appropriately;

(4) the local social service agency agrees to provide the commissioner with accurate data on the number of emergency mental health service calls received;

(5) the local social service agency agrees to monitor the frequency and quality of emergency services; and

(6) the local social service agency describes how it will comply with paragraph (d).

(d) Whenever emergency service during nonbusiness hours is provided by anyone other than a mental health professional, a mental health professional must be available on call for an emergency assessment and crisis intervention services, and must be available for at least telephone consultation within 30 minutes.

Subd. 3.Mental health crisis services.

The commissioner of human services shall increase access to mental health crisis services for children and adults. In order to increase access, the commissioner must:

(1) develop a central phone number where calls can be routed to the appropriate crisis services;

(2) provide telephone consultation 24 hours a day to mobile crisis teams who are serving people with traumatic brain injury or intellectual disabilities who are experiencing a mental health crisis;

(3) expand crisis services across the state, including rural areas of the state and examining access per population;

(4) establish and implement state standards and requirements for crisis services as outlined in section 256B.0624; and

(5) provide grants to adult mental health initiatives, counties, tribes, or community mental health providers to establish new mental health crisis residential service capacity.

Priority will be given to regions that do not have a mental health crisis residential services program, do not have an inpatient psychiatric unit within the region, do not have an inpatient psychiatric unit within 90 miles, or have a demonstrated need based on the number of crisis residential or intensive residential treatment beds available to meet the needs of the residents in the region. At least 50 percent of the funds must be distributed to programs in rural Minnesota. Grant funds may be used for start-up costs, including but not limited to renovations, furnishings, and staff training. Grant applications shall provide details on how the intended service will address identified needs and shall demonstrate collaboration with crisis teams, other mental health providers, hospitals, and police.