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2015 Session

Budget Amendments - SB800 (Member Request)

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Chief Patron: Deeds
Training for Emergency Evaluators

Item 308 #7s

Item 308 #7s

First Year - FY2015 Second Year - FY2016
Health and Human Resources
Grants To Localities FY2015 $0 FY2016 $780,000 GF

Language
Page 287, line 20, strike "$369,373,536" and insert "$370,153,536".
Page 290, after line 14, insert:
"CC.  The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services shall implement the recommendations in the report “Assessment of Virginia’s Emergency Evaluators Qualifications, Training and Oversight (SB261, 2014)” submitted as Senate Document No. 9 (2014).  These recommendations are:
1) Creating an enhanced certification program for CSB evaluators to become “Certified Crisis Intervention Specialists”.
2) Commencing a five year transition period (2015 - 2020) after which all individuals performing these evaluations will need to meet the enhanced certification requirements.
3) Implementing standards of supervision, documentation, and oversight for all Crisis Intervention Specialists.
4) Developing and implementing a standardized orientation for all individuals performing emergency evaluations with allowances for local protocols.
5) Enhancing, developing and maintaining a blended training approach consisting of online learning, classroom sessions, testing, and ongoing training requirements to maintain certification.
6) Requiring that all newly hired CSB evaluators meet the proposed licensing and experiential requirements as of July 1, 2016.
7) Codifying the proposed new licensing requirements of all individuals who perform emergency evaluations by 2020.
8) Building the infrastructure at DBHDS to support the full range of crisis intervention services of CSBs/BHA."


Explanation
(This amendment funds and implements the recommendations of a recent report that determined that the qualifications, training and oversight of CSB evaluators should be strengthened. These evaluations are complex and individuals are extraordinarily vulnerable during a psychiatric crisis and therefore must be evaluated and treated by professionals who are qualified to provide appropriate treatment for individuals in crisis.)