BILL NUMBER:S7377

TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to
directing local government units providing services to individuals
with mental illness or developmental disabilities to create a single
point of access system

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Single Point of Access (SPOA) was a part of the NYS Office of Mental
Health's program initiatives 2000-2001. It was designed to expand the
existing community based mental health system to enable people with
the most serious service needs to access needed housing and care
management on a priority basis. The result is a more cohesive and
better coordinated system which is responsive to individual needs. No
specific statutory basis was ever enacted for the SPOA. During this
time of redesign and reform of the behavioral health delivery system
in New York, there is a real danger that the substantial benefits
which the SPOA provides to real people will be lost or severely
diminished causing a substantial reduction in the ability of the
community based system to ensure access to care. This bill would
recognize SPOAs as a statutorily required part of the community
behavioral health system and would preserve its valuable role in the
overall service delivery system.

SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
              

Adds a new section 17 to section 41.13 of the Mental Hygiene Law to
require that a local governmental unit create, direct and supervise a
single point of access system to coordinate the care the provision of
ancillary services for high need adults and children with mental
disabilities.

JUSTIFICATION:

SPOA (Single Point of Access) is a process, generally led by a SPOA
Coordinator, which helps Local Governmental Units achieve community
based behavioral health systems that are cohesive and well-
coordinated. The SPOA process provides for the identification of
adults and children most in need of services, and manages service
access and utilization, including, but not limited to, care
management, housing, access to social, services, vocational services,
family supports, community resources, and transforming from the
criminal justice system.

Since their creation, OMH, the counties and New York City have made
significant progress in establishing SPOA processes for adults and
children. These intensive referral and care coordination mechanisms
enable people with the most serious services needs to access
appropriate services on a priority basis. SPOA systems also help to
manage referrals to Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams which
provide highly individualized treatments and supports in the community
to people with serious mental illness. LGUs through their SPOAs
routinely work to monitor access to services and services outcomes for
individuals with intensive service needs regardless of the ability to
pay, insurance coverage or the existence of co-occurring disorders.


The use of LGU-level mechanisms for ensuring access represents an
important milestone in the development of statewide accountability for
successful service system outcomes, particularly as they affect to
critical community support services. The SPOA process addresses the
need for individuals and their families, providers, and county and NYC
governments to successfully manage the access issue.

As State and Federal funding is reduced and the Medicaid behavioral
health system move into managed care, the SPOA process becomes more
important to ensure timely access to services for those most-in need.
It is critical that the function and role of SPOA be preserved in the
managed care world. This legislation recognizes the critical role that
the SPOA plays in ensuring the efficient use of sometimes scarce
resources needed to manage capacity and improve the appropriate
utilization of existing services.

Experience has demonstrated the ability of the community behavioral
health system to better meet and manage the service needs of its
clients. This bill will help insure the continuation of that ability
by preserving this important part of the system and allowing the
community itself to determine its own needs and allocate its existing
services.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New Bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

Immediately.