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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 11, 2022 02:25 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Tina Pickett |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Telehealth Mental Health Services |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation addressing psychiatric supervision requirements in outpatient psychiatric clinics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many behavioral health providers moved to an entirely virtual model. Telehealth makes mental health services more accessible as it helps patients avoid stigma and get treatment from the privacy of home. Different mental health problems typically anxiety, depression, and substance-related disorder, etc. can be treated with telemedicine efficiently and effectively. I believe that telemedicine provides a handy link for patients with special requirements, including the young, minority populations, and the elderly. One item to consider is the specific telehealth needs of patients in challenging geographic areas or who may be facing transportation barriers. My legislation will help outpatient psychiatric clinics to meet the growing demand and address the shortage of psychiatric time we are facing in Pennsylvania by changing the number of hours of psychiatric supervision required for each staff member per week. The legislation will allow licensed prescribing professionals to work within their scope of practice as is the case in the physical health care arena. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as HB2294