PRINTER'S NO. 3479
No. 2548 Session of 1998
INTRODUCED BY TRICH, FAIRCHILD, DeWEESE, PRESTON, TANGRETTI,
BROWNE, JAMES, JAROLIN, BELFANTI, CURRY, PESCI, LESCOVITZ,
MAHER, OLASZ, TIGUE, HUTCHINSON, READSHAW, M. COHEN,
MARKOSEK, PHILLIPS, DeLUCA, TRELLO, EVANS, BEBKO-JONES,
FICHTER, ROBINSON, MANDERINO, WOGAN, DALEY, E. Z. TAYLOR,
MELIO, COLAIZZO, KIRKLAND, LEDERER, LAUGHLIN, STABACK,
SHANER, HARHAI, RAMOS, OLIVER, McGEEHAN, McCALL AND STEELMAN,
APRIL 28, 1998
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
APRIL 28, 1998
AN ACT
1 Requiring certain facilities that provide treatment to mentally
2 ill persons to periodically report to the Department of
3 Public Welfare the residency of such persons.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Mental Health
8 Patient Residence Reporting Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the
14 Commonwealth.
15 "Facility." Any mental health establishment, hospital,
1 clinic, institution, center, day-care center, base service unit,
2 community mental health center, or part thereof, that provides,
3 on a contractual basis to the Commonwealth, diagnosis,
4 treatment, care or rehabilitation of mentally ill persons who
5 are committed to a State-operated institution under the act of
6 July 9, 1976 (P.L.817, No.143), known as the Mental Health
7 Procedures Act.
8 Section 3. Duty to report.
9 (a) Periodic reporting.--During the first 12 months that a
10 facility is required to provide treatment to a mentally ill
11 person, the facility shall provide a quarterly report to the
12 department in accordance with section 4. Thereafter, the
13 facility shall provide a report to the department on an annual
14 basis.
15 (b) Change of residence.--At any time when a facility
16 transfers a mentally ill person to another facility for any
17 reason, the facility that receives the person shall provide the
18 quarterly and annual reports required by subsection (a).
19 (c) Other circumstances.--A facility shall immediately file
20 a report with the department if the mentally ill person dies or
21 no longer resides at the facility for any reason.
22 Section 4. Contents of report.
23 A report required by this act shall state:
24 (1) The name and Social Security number of the mentally
25 ill person.
26 (2) The date the facility received the mentally ill
27 person for treatment.
28 (3) Whether the mentally ill person resides at the
29 facility as of the date of the report.
30 (4) Whether the mentally ill person continues to receive
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1 treatment at the facility and, if not, an explanation.
2 (5) Any other information deemed necessary by the
3 department.
4 Section 5. Regulations.
5 The department shall have the power to adopt rules and
6 regulations necessary to implement this act.
7 Section 6. Abrogation of existing regulations.
8 Any rules or regulations inconsistent with this act are
9 abrogated.
10 Section 7. Effective date.
11 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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