Findings—Intent—2005 c 504: "The legislature finds that persons with mental disorders, chemical dependency disorders, or co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders are disproportionately more likely to be confined in a correctional institution, become homeless, become involved with child protective services or involved in a dependency proceeding, or lose those state and federal benefits to which they may be entitled as a result of their disorders. The legislature finds that prior state policy of addressing mental health and chemical dependency in isolation from each other has not been cost-effective and has often resulted in longer-term, more costly treatment that may be less effective over time. The legislature finds that a substantial number of persons have co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders and that identification and integrated treatment of co-occurring disorders is critical to successful outcomes and recovery. Consequently, the legislature intends, to the extent of available funding, to:
(1) Establish a process for determining which persons with mental disorders and substance abuse disorders have co-occurring disorders;
(2) Reduce the gap between available chemical dependency treatment and the documented need for treatment;
(3) Improve treatment outcomes by shifting treatment, where possible, to evidence-based, research-based, and consensus-based treatment practices and by removing barriers to the use of those practices;
(4) Expand the authority for and use of therapeutic courts including drug courts, mental health courts, and therapeutic courts for dependency proceedings;
(5) Improve access to treatment for persons who are not enrolled in medicaid by improving and creating consistency in the application processes, and by minimizing the numbers of eligible confined persons who leave confinement without medical assistance;
(6) Improve access to inpatient treatment by creating expanded services facilities for persons needing intensive treatment in a secure setting who do not need inpatient care, but are unable to access treatment under current licensing restrictions in other settings;
(7) Establish secure detoxification centers for persons involuntarily detained as gravely disabled or presenting a likelihood of serious harm due to chemical dependency and authorize combined crisis responders for both mental disorders and chemical dependency disorders on a pilot basis and study the outcomes;
(8) Slow or stop the loss of inpatient and intensive residential beds and children's long-term inpatient placements and refine the balance of state hospital and community inpatient and residential beds;
(9) Improve cross-system collaboration including collaboration with first responders and hospital emergency rooms, schools, primary care, developmental disabilities, law enforcement and corrections, and federally funded and licensed programs;
(10) Following the receipt of outcomes from the pilot programs in Part II of this act, if directed by future legislative enactment, implement a single, comprehensive, involuntary treatment act with a unified set of standards, rights, obligations, and procedures for adults and children with mental disorders, chemical dependency disorders, and co-occurring disorders; and
(11) Amend existing state law to address organizational and structural barriers to effective use of state funds for treating persons with mental and substance abuse disorders, minimize internal inconsistencies, clarify policy and requirements, and maximize the opportunity for effective and cost-effective outcomes." [
2005 c 504 s 101.]