Behavioral Health Crisis Response Recommendations

Legislative Oversight Committee Concerning the Treatment of Persons with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Systems. No later than December 31, 2025, the bill requires the department of public safety (DPS), in collaboration with the behavioral health administration (BHA), to convene a stakeholder group to identify existing resources and model programs that communities throughout Colorado utilize when responding to behavioral health crises, including, but not limited to, co-responder programs, alternative response programs, and mobile crisis response programs. The bill requires DPS to compile a list of the existing resources and model programs and make the resources and information about the model programs publicly available on DPS's website.

The bill requires the department of health care policy and financing (HCPF), the department of public health and environment, and the BHA to provide information to the general assembly on or before January 1, 2027, regarding the reimbursement shortages and gaps within the continuum of care for the behavioral health crisis response system and the reimbursement and funding options at the state and federal level that are available to address the shortages and gaps, including funding for treatment in place.

Upon receiving the necessary federal authorization, the bill requires HCPF to reimburse an institute of mental health disease for providing inpatient mental health care and treatment to a member for up to 60 days, as long as the average length of stay does not exceed 30 days per calendar year.

Current law requires each person detained for an emergency mental health hold to receive an evaluation as soon as possible after the person is presented to a facility, and the evaluation may, but is not required to, include an assessment to determine if the person continues to meet the criteria for an emergency mental health hold and requires further mental health care in a facility designated by the commissioner. The bill requires the evaluation to include the assessment determination.

The bill requires a facility to only discharge a person placed on an emergency mental health hold if the person no longer meets the criteria for an emergency mental health hold; except that a facility may transfer the person to another facility if the facility is unable to provide the appropriate medical care to the person.

The bill requires the BHA to include in its annual report to the general assembly the reason for discharging each person who is placed on an emergency mental health hold.

No later than December 31, 2025, the bill requires each behavioral health entity, facility, and hospital to provide information to the BHA about the behavioral health entity's, facility's, or hospital's medical and behavioral health-care capabilities.

Beginning October 1, 2025, and continuing annually until October 1, 2030, the bill requires the BHA, in coordination with HCPF and the health information organization network, to prepare and submit a report to the general assembly on behavioral health data interoperability.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)