Title: An act relating to home visits by mental health professionals.

Brief Description: Requiring that mental health professionals do private home visits in pairs and providing for other safety and violence prevention measures.

Sponsors: Representatives Green, Appleton, Woods, Cody, Moeller, Haigh, Conway, Lantz, Hudgins, Roberts, McCoy, Kenney, Morrell, P. Sullivan, Hasegawa, Kilmer, Simpson and Ormsby.

Brief History:

Health Care: 1/26/06, 1/31/06 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 9 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Campbell, Vice Chair; Morrell, Vice Chair; Appleton, Clibborn, Green, Lantz, Moeller and Schual-Berke.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 5 members: Representatives Hinkle, Ranking Minority Member; Curtis, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Bailey and Condotta.

Staff: Dave Knutson (786-7146).

Background:

Designated mental health professionals and other mental health workers occasionally evaluate people for involuntary detention or do crisis outreach services in the person's home.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

Designated mental health professionals or other mental health crisis outreach workers who visit clients in their homes will be accompanied by another worker. Mental health workers who engage in home visits will be provided a cellular phone or similar device by their employer. Mental health workers dispatched on a crisis outreach visit will have access to existing case files on the client they are visiting. All community mental health workers who work directly with clients will be provided with training on safety and violence reduction.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:

The requirement that the mental health worker be accompanied by a designated mental health worker or crisis outreach worker is modified. The second worker must have received specialized training but does not need to be a designated mental health professional or a crisis outreach worker.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: This will improve safety of community mental health workers and result in fewer fatalities and injuries.

(With concerns) This will bring state coercion to the community and result in increased use of medication.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: (In support) Representative Green, prime sponsor; Representative Woods; Jonathan Rosenblum, Vincent Wilson, Marie Manlangit and Hannah Antokol, Service Employees International Union 1199 Northwest; Yolanda Smith; Jean Wessman, Association of Counties; and Carole Willey, Holistic Health and Advocacy.

(With concerns) Richard Warner, Citizens Commission on Human Rights.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.