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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Fifth Legislature, First Regular Session
chronic serious mental illness; care
Purpose
Supports community-based efforts to implement a clinically appropriate and cost-effective system of care for individuals living with chronic serious mental illness through the enhancement of psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment facilities.
Background
Current statute defines the term seriously mentally ill (SMI) as persons who, as a result of a mental disorder, exhibit emotional or behavioral functioning that is 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. These individuals' mental disabilities are severe and persistent, resulting in long-term limitation of their functional capacities for primary activities of daily living such as interpersonal relationships, homemaking, self-care, employment and recreation (A.R.S. § 36-550).
According to the Department of Health Services (DHS) 2015 report on SMI individuals, it is estimated that over 40,000 Arizona residents suffer from SMI (DHS). The report additionally asserts that individuals living with chronic SMI are more likely to experience higher rates of homelessness, have a shorter life expectancy and suffer from physical illnesses when compared to the rest of the population. Furthermore, individuals with chronic SMI are more likely to cycle in and out of hospitals, jails and prisons.
The Arizona State Hospital (ASH), located in Phoenix and administered by DHS, serves as Arizona's sole public psychiatric hospital. Currently, ASH provides 360 beds for the long-term treatment of SMI individuals. Of those 360 beds, the Civil Adult Rehabilitation Program has designated 116 available beds for individuals who are civilly committed as a danger to self or others, gravely disabled, or persistently and acutely disabled (ASH).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Expresses the members of the Legislature's support for community-based efforts, including joint efforts of public and private organizations, to implement a more clinically appropriate and cost-effective system of care for individuals living with chronic SMI.
2.
States support for 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 individuals livings with chronic SMI.
3. Promotes community-based efforts to enhance the ability of ASH, private psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment facilities to provide higher-level, clinically appropriate care for individuals living with chronic SMI who clinically qualify for but cannot obtain services at ASH.
4. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 15, 2021
CRS/AP/kja