5900-5901
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 5900-5901
5900. This part is intended to organize and finance mental health services in skilled nursing facilities designated as institutions for mental disease, in a way that will promote the well-being of the residents. It is furthermore intended to effectively utilize existing resources in the delivery of mental health services to severely and persistently mentally disabled persons; to ensure continued receipt of federal funds; to minimize the fiscal exposure of counties; to maintain state responsibility for licensing and certification; to maintain services to individual county consumers at the 1990-91 fiscal year levels; and to provide a mechanism for the orderly transition of programmatic and fiscal responsibility from the state to the counties, in a way that will maintain the stability and viability of the industry. 5901. (a) The Legislature finds that the following issues relating to program operation must be resolved prior to the full assumption of responsibility for institutions for mental disease program monitoring and reimbursement procedures by the counties: (1) The information regarding the program is inadequate to accurately allocate funding to the counties without significant disruption of patient care. (2) There is currently no administrative mechanism whereby all counties can immediately assume these responsibilities without endangering the health and safety of the persons being served. (b) (1) During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the sum of eighty-seven million seven hundred twenty-seven thousand dollars ($87,727,000) shall be made available from the Mental Health Subaccount of the Sales Tax Account of the Local Revenue Fund to the department for support of institutions for mental disease. (2) For the 1991-92 fiscal year, the department shall issue a preliminary allocation of at least fifty-seven million four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($57,450,000) of the amount identified in paragraph (1). In developing a preliminary allocation, the department shall utilize a methodology that will minimize disruption of services to persons being served and that will continue access at the 1990-91 fiscal year level. (3) During the 1991-92 fiscal year, the department shall administer institution for mental disease resources remaining from the amount identified in paragraph (1) after the allocation described in (2) has been made, as a risk pool on behalf of all the counties. Effective July 1, 1991, the department shall enter into contracts with institutions for mental disease providers at the 1990-91 fiscal year contract bed level. These resources shall be made available to all counties. (4) The department shall establish a method for the identification of persons, by county, residing in institutions for mental disease, and notification of counties of their program and fiscal responsibilities. (c) The Department of Finance may authorize a loan of up to twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) from the General Fund for deposit into the Institutions for Mental Disease Account of the Mental Health Facilities Fund established pursuant to Section 17602.05, for use by the State Department of Mental Health in implementing this part.