S 4918: Creates 10 interagency placement committees throughout the state to recommend treatment and rehabilitation programs or strategies for youths with co-existing mental disabilities; directs such committees to establish a process by which youths can be referred to such committees; directs such committees to submit a report annually to the governor and legislature identifying gaps in treatment and rehabilitation options, and any plans or recommendations to increase such options.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4918 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SCARCELLA-SPANTON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to creating intera- gency placement committees to recommend treatment and rehabilitation programs or strategies for youths with co-existing mental disabilities The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 41.58 to read as follows: 3 § 41.58 Interagency placement committees. 4 1. There is hereby established ten interagency placement committees in 5 the state, one for each of the following regions: Long Island, New York 6 City, Mid-Hudson, the Capital Region, Mohawk Valley, North Country, 7 Central New York, the Southern Tier, the Finger Lakes, and Western New 8 York. Each such committee shall be comprised of nine members, who shall 9 be familiar with the region in which they are appointed and knowledge- 10 able of the services under this section that are available in such 11 region, and who shall be appointed as follows: 12 (a) three members to be appointed by the commissioner of mental 13 health; 14 (b) three members to be appointed by the commissioner of developmental 15 disabilities; and 16 (c) three members to be appointed by the commissioner of children and 17 family services. 18 2. The purposes of the interagency placement committees established 19 pursuant to subdivision one of this section shall be to ensure that 20 youth with co-existing mental disabilities are being provided sufficient 21 wraparound services to meet their needs. Each interagency placement 22 committee shall establish a procedure under which families, schools, 23 probation centers, and other appropriate establishments in their region 24 may refer youths with co-existing mental disabilities to such interagen- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD08357-01-5 
 S. 4918 2 1 cy placement committee, to determine the best treatment and rehabili- 2 tation programs or strategies available for such youth and to recommend 3 such determinations to the referring entity. In making such a determi- 4 nation, interagency placement committees shall avoid recommending an 5 in-patient setting for a youth unless there are no reasonable alterna- 6 tives appropriate for such youth. 7 3. Upon receiving a referral of a youth with co-existing mental disa- 8 bilities pursuant to subdivision two of this section, an interagency 9 placement committee shall make its determination and recommendation of 10 the best treatment and rehabilitation programs or strategies available 11 for such youth pursuant to subdivision two of this section within two 12 weeks of receiving such referral. Such determination shall be based upon 13 a majority vote of the members of such interagency placement committee. 14 The findings and reasoning for such determination and recommendation 15 shall be provided to the entity that submitted such referral. 16 4. Beginning on the first of January next the date upon which this 17 section shall have become a law, each interagency placement committee 18 shall submit a report to the governor, the temporary president of the 19 senate, and the speaker of the assembly, that shall contain information 20 on identified gaps in treatment and rehabilitation options in their 21 region for youths with co-existing mental disabilities, and any plans or 22 recommendations to increase the availability of such services. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 24 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 25 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 26 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 27 completed on or before such effective date.