1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; creating an Office of Mental 
  1.3             Health; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.4             Statutes, chapter 145. 
  1.5   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.6      Section 1.  [145.565] [OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH.] 
  1.7      Subdivision 1.  [CREATION.] The Office of Mental Health is 
  1.8   created within the Department of Health to promote access to 
  1.9   mental health services for the state's residents.  The director 
  1.10  of the office shall be appointed by the governor and serve in 
  1.11  the unclassified service.  The director must be a Minnesota 
  1.12  licensed, board-certified psychiatrist who has knowledge and 
  1.13  experience in both public and private mental health treatment 
  1.14  programs.  The director of the office shall report directly to 
  1.15  the commissioner of health. 
  1.16     Subd. 2.  [DUTIES.] The director of the Office of Mental 
  1.17  Health shall:  
  1.18     (1) review epidemiological studies of psychiatric disorders 
  1.19  and coordinate mental health identification and treatment data; 
  1.20     (2) identify trends in mental health illnesses in the 
  1.21  state; 
  1.22     (3) promote mental health screenings throughout the state 
  1.23  and encourage primary care physicians and public health nurses 
  1.24  to perform mental health screenings of their patients; 
  1.25     (4) work with medical schools, primary care residency 
  2.1   programs, professional societies, and continuing education 
  2.2   program sponsors to ensure greater mental health education to 
  2.3   primary care physicians; 
  2.4      (5) encourage improved coordination and shared care 
  2.5   agreements between psychiatrists and primary care physicians; 
  2.6   and 
  2.7      (6) work with advocacy groups and health care professional 
  2.8   societies to develop best practices for medically necessary 
  2.9   treatment criteria and aid for persons with mental illness. 
  2.10     Subd. 3.  [EVALUATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.] (a) The 
  2.11  director of the Office of Mental Health shall collect data 
  2.12  regarding access to inpatient and outpatient psychiatric 
  2.13  services and review the data to determine if appropriate levels 
  2.14  of access are being attained.  The review shall include the 
  2.15  frequency of patients diverted to another city or state beyond 
  2.16  30 miles or 30 minutes from the patient's primary place of 
  2.17  residence.  The review shall also include the capacity 
  2.18  constraints occurring in the state's mental health treatment 
  2.19  system, both public and private. 
  2.20     (b) The director of the Office of Mental Health shall 
  2.21  annually report to the legislature on the review and evaluations 
  2.22  under paragraph (a).  The report shall include any 
  2.23  recommendations for legislative action that would improve access 
  2.24  to psychiatric and mental health services in the state. 
  2.25     Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.26     Section 1 is effective January 1, 2005.