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REFERENCE TITLE: telehealth program; homeless; recovery services |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
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SB 1140 |
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Introduced by Senators Miranda: Alston, Gabaldón, Gonzales, Sundareshan; Representative Abeytia
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AN ACT
Amending Title 36, chapter 1, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, by adding section 36-149.01; appropriating monies; relating to the department of health services.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Title 36, chapter 1, article 2, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 36-149.01, to read:
36-149.01. Homeless recovery telehealth pilot program; telehealth provider; contract; reporting requirements; delayed repeal
A. The department shall establish the homeless recovery telehealth pilot program as a public-private partnership with a single telehealth provider. The department shall select the telehealth provider through a competitive bidding process for the initial term of five years. The homeless recovery telehealth pilot program shall be developed to:
1. Facilitate access to telehealth services for mental health, addiction and primary care treatment for homeless individuals statewide.
2. Create and maintain a comprehensive homeless population census.
3. Support homeless shelters, hospitals and community health centers by integrating telehealth services into these operations.
4. Enable continuous tracking of patient outcomes and progress toward recovery.
5. Provide expertise in data mining, data cleaning, machine learning algorithms, predictive modeling, trend analysis, anomaly detection and actionable insights.
6. Uncover sociological patterns for informed decisions.
B. On or before March 1, 2026, the department shall contract with the telehealth provider. The selected telehealth provider shall:
1. Partner with homeless shelters, hospitals and community health centers to provide services to the homeless population.
2. establish telehealth access points in homeless shelters and participating health care facilities.
3. Maintain a secure database that complies with all state and federal privacy requirements to track and manage patient care and outcomes.
4. Provide training to homeless shelter staff members and health care workers on integrating telehealth technology into daily operations.
5. Collaborate with the department to produce quarterly reports on patient care outcomes, census updates and program metrics.
C. The telehealth provider shall remit at least five and not more than ten percent of the net annual revenue earned from reimbursements for services provided under the program to this state.
D. In addition to legislative appropriations, the telehealth provider and the department shall seek additional funding from federal grants, including grants offered by the substance abuse and mental health services administration, and in-kind donations from local hospitals that are willing to commit to the program.
E. The department shall coordinate with homeless shelters statewide to house individuals participating in the program. Homeless individuals who are diagnosed with mental health or addiction issues through the program shall be eligible for immediate placement in participating homeless shelters. Homeless shelters participating in the program shall provide basic necessities, including beds, air conditioning, food and water, to individuals participating in the program.
F. Mental health and addiction service providers shall create personalized recovery plans for each program participant, focusing on long-term rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
G. The department shall monitor the program's impact on homelessness, hospital recidivism, crime rates and Medicaid/AHCCCS costs. The department shall provide to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the senate quarterly reports detailing program performance, including cost savings and outcomes, and shall provide A copy of each report to the secretary of state.
H. At the end of the initial five-year pilot program period, the department shall contract for an independent evaluation of the program to determine the program's effectiveness. Based on the evaluation, the legislature shall decide whether to expand or modify the program.
I. This section is repealed from and after December 31, 2032.
Sec. 2. Appropriation; department of health services; homeless recovery telehealth pilot program; exemption
A. The sum of $10,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2025-2026 to the department of health services for the homeless recovery telehealth pilot program established pursuant to section 36-149.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, as added by this act.
B. The appropriation made in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section 35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.
Sec. 3. Short title
This act may be cited as the "Homeless Recovery and Telehealth Integration Act".