ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifty-fifth Legislature First Regular Session
	Senate: HHS DP 8-0-0-0 | 3^rd Read 29-0-1-0 House: HHS DP 9-0-0-0

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SCR 1018: chronic serious mental illness; care

Sponsor:  Senator Barto, LD 15

House Engrossed

Overview

Supports community-based efforts for care of people living with chronic serious mental illness.

History

Mental disorder is defined as a substantial disorder of a person's emotional processes, thought, cognition or memory. Mental disorder is distinguished from conditions primarily due to drug abuse, alcoholism or intellectual disability, declining mental abilities that directly accompany death and character and personality disorders characterized by lifelong and deeply ingrained antisocial behavior patterns (A.R.S. § 36-501).

Seriously mentally ill means a person who, as a result of a mental disorder, exhibits emotional or behavioral functioning so impaired as to interfere substantially with their capacity to remain in the community without supportive treatment or services of a long-term or indefinite duration. In these people, mental disability is severe and persistent, resulting in a long-term limitation of their functional capacities for primary activities of daily living, like interpersonal relationships, homemaking, self-care, employment and recreation (A.R.S. § 36-550).

The Arizona State Hospital (ASH) provides long-term inpatient psychiatric care to Arizonans under court order for treatment with mental disorders, personality disorders or emotional conditions.

Provisions

1. Declares the Legislature supports community-based efforts, including joint efforts of public and private organizations, to implement a more clinically appropriate and cost-effective system of care for people living with chronic serious mental illness.

2. States the Legislature supports community-based efforts to enhance the ability of public and private psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment facilities to provide higher-level, clinically appropriate care for people living with chronic serious mental illness.

3. States the Legislature supports community-based efforts to enhance the ability of ASH, private psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment facilities to provide higher-level, clinically appropriate care for people living with chronic serious mental illness who clinically qualify for but cannot obtain services at ASH.

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7.                   SCR 1018

8. Initials EB/IR         Page 0 House Engrossed

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