A 4878: Relates to the establishment of mental health clubhouses pursuant to a statewide implementation plan developed by the office of mental health.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4878 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 7, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. TAPIA -- read once and referred to the Committee on Mental Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the establishment of mental health clubhouses The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 2 29-L to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 29-L 4 MENTAL HEALTH CLUBHOUSES 5 Section 2999-nn. Definitions. 6 2999-oo. Mental health clubhouses; establishment. 7 2999-pp. Operational standards and core services. 8 2999-qq. Public-private partnerships and workforce training. 9 2999-rr. Criminal justice coordination and re-entry support. 10 2999-ss. Funding and sustainability. 11 2999-tt. Oversight, compliance, and reporting. 12 § 2999-nn. Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the follow- 13 ing terms shall have the following meanings: 14 1. "Mental health clubhouse" or "clubhouse" means a non-emergency 15 medical facility and community-based psychosocial rehabilitation center 16 that provides structured, evidence-based services for individuals living 17 with mental illness, including: 18 (a) employment assistance, workforce development, and job placement; 19 (b) housing assistance, supportive housing navigation, and homeless- 20 ness prevention; 21 (c) educational and skills training programs; 22 (d) peer support groups and mental health counseling; 23 (e) crisis intervention and suicide prevention services; 24 (f) re-entry support for justice-involved individuals; and EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08603-01-5 
 A. 4878 2 1 (g) veteran services, including post-traumatic stress disorder support 2 and United States department of veterans' affairs benefit navigation. 3 2. "Active membership" means a person who has entered a clubhouse and 4 participated in its activities within the preceding three months. 5 3. "Veteran peer specialist" means a trained individual with military 6 service experience who provides post-traumatic stress disorder support, 7 United States department of veterans' affairs benefits assistance, and 8 reintegration services. 9 4. "Public-private partnership" means a state-authorized agreement 10 allowing private sector investment into clubhouse workforce development 11 programs. 12 5. "Re-entry program" means a program operated by a municipality, 13 county, or state entity that assists individuals transitioning from 14 incarceration to community living. 15 6. "Homeless placement agency" means any governmental or non-govern- 16 mental entity tasked with placing individuals experiencing homelessness 17 into housing or shelters. 18 § 2999-oo. Mental health clubhouses; establishment. 1. Clubhouses 19 shall be established within reasonable proximity to public transporta- 20 tion. In rural areas, mobile clubhouse services shall be implemented to 21 ensure accessibility. 22 2. The department and the office of mental health shall develop a 23 statewide implementation plan for the provisions of this article within 24 one year of the effective date of this article. The state shall prior- 25 itize clubhouse expansion in counties with the highest rates of home- 26 lessness, unemployment, and psychiatric hospitalizations. 27 § 2999-pp. Operational standards and core services. 1. Membership of 28 clubhouses shall be voluntary, free of cost, and open to any individual 29 with a history of mental illness. 30 2. Each clubhouse shall provide the following core services: 31 (a) employment assistance and workforce development, including but not 32 limited to: 33 (i) on-site employment opportunities in food service, maintenance, 34 outreach, and administrative roles; 35 (ii) job placement services in coordination with local employers; and 36 (iii) skills training and professional development in technical and 37 trade fields; 38 (b) housing assistance and homelessness prevention, including but not 39 limited to: 40 (i) direct housing application support, including under section eight 41 of the United States Housing Act, and supportive housing programs; 42 (ii) coordination with homeless placement agencies; and 43 (iii) emergency shelter and rapid rehousing services; 44 (c) crisis intervention and suicide prevention, including but not 45 limited to: 46 (i) employing at least one staff member at each clubhouse who has been 47 trained in a recognized applied suicide intervention skills training 48 (ASIST) program; 49 (ii) on-site naloxone administration and overdose prevention training 50 for staff; and 51 (iii) emergency response coordination with 911 and mobile crisis 52 teams; and 53 (d) veterans' services, including but not limited to: 54 (i) employing at least one veteran peer specialist at each clubhouse; 55 (ii) post-traumatic stress disorder support groups and individualized 56 reintegration services; and 
 A. 4878 3 1 (iii) direct assistance in applying for United States department of 2 veterans' affairs benefits and housing programs. 3 § 2999-qq. Public-private partnerships and workforce training. The 4 department shall establish a public-private partnership model, allowing 5 corporations to invest in workforce training programs within clubhouses 6 as authorized by the department. Such corporate investments may include: 7 1. funding on-site job training; 8 2. establishing employment pipelines for clubhouse members; and 9 3. providing direct financial support to clubhouses. 10 § 2999-rr. Criminal justice coordination and re-entry support. 1. All 11 clubhouses shall partner with re-entry programs and probation offices to 12 ensure individuals leaving incarceration with mental illness can imme- 13 diately access clubhouse services. 14 2. Clubhouses shall provide: 15 (a) re-entry counseling, job training, and housing assistance; 16 (b) collaboration with parole and probation officers for smooth rein- 17 tegration; and 18 (c) substance abuse prevention services for justice-involved individ- 19 uals. 20 § 2999-ss. Funding and sustainability. 1. Clubhouses shall not operate 21 on a fee-for-service reimbursement basis. 22 2. Funding sources for clubhouses shall include: 23 (i) state appropriations; 24 (ii) Medicaid waivers; 25 (iii) federal grants for which clubhouses qualify; and 26 (iv) private sector investments through public-private partnerships 27 under section twenty-nine hundred ninety-nine-qq of this article. 28 3. The department shall allocate available funding based on: 29 (a) county population and mental health prevalence; and 30 (b) performance metrics and service utilization rates. 31 § 2999-tt. Oversight, compliance, and reporting. 1. Each clubhouse 32 shall submit a comprehensive report to the department and the office of 33 mental health detailing: 34 (a) clubhouse active membership statistics and daily service utiliza- 35 tion; 36 (b) employment placements and workforce development outcomes; 37 (c) housing placements and homelessness prevention efforts; and 38 (d) crisis intervention cases and emergency responses. 39 2. The department shall conduct biennial audits of all clubhouses to 40 ensure compliance with state regulations. 41 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.