Creates the Strengthening and Transforming Behavioral Health Crisis Care in Illinois Act. Requires the Department of Human Services, Division of Mental Health, to use an independent third-party expert to conduct a cost analysis and determine actuarially sound costs associated with developing and maintaining a statewide initiative for the coordination and delivery of the continuum of behavioral health crisis response services in the State, including crisis call centers, mobile crisis response team services, crisis receiving and stabilization centers, and other acute behavioral health services. Contains provisions concerning recommendations on multiple sources of funding that could potentially be utilized to support a sustainable and comprehensive continuum of behavioral health crisis response services; a behavioral health crisis workforce; an action plan; a stakeholder working group to develop recommendations to coordinate programming and strategies to support a cohesive behavioral health crisis response system; and other matters. Effective immediately.
House Amendment 1:
Replaces everything after the enacting clause. Reinserts the provisions of the introduced bill but with the following changes: Makes subject to appropriation the requirement that the Department of Human Services use an independent third-party expert to conduct a cost analysis on developing and maintaining a statewide initiative for the coordination and delivery of the continuum of behavioral health crisis response services in the State. Provides that the cost analysis shall include costs that are or can be reasonably attributed to: (i) staffing and technological infrastructure enhancements necessary to achieve operational and clinical standards and best practices set forth by the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (rather than costs that are or can be reasonably attributed to ensuring the efficient and effective routing of calls made to the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline to the designated hotline center and community behavioral health centers); (ii) the need to develop staffing that is consistent with federal guidelines for (rather than staffing that is adequate for expedient) mobile crisis response times, based on call volume and the geography served; and (iii) the provision of call, text, and chat response; mobile crisis response; and follow-up and crisis stabilization services that are in response to the 9-8-8 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Removes all references to "Program 590" with "the Division of Mental Health's Crisis Care Continuum Program". Makes other technical changes. Effective immediately.