Sec. 17a-20. (Formerly Sec. 17-424). Definition of psychiatric clinic and child guidance clinic. Grant of funds.
Sec. 17a-20. (Formerly Sec. 17-424). Definition of psychiatric clinic and child
guidance clinic. Grant of funds. (a) For the purposes of this section, "psychiatric clinic"
means an organization licensed by the Department of Children and Families and staffed
by psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and such other professional, paraprofessional and clerical personnel as local circumstances may require, working in collaboration with other social service agencies, to provide mental health services that are designed to (1) effectively decrease the prevalence and incidence of mental illness,
emotional disturbance and social disfunctioning, and (2) promote mental health in individuals, groups and institutions, and includes a general hospital with such clinic services.
The Department of Children and Families shall develop and maintain a program of
outpatient psychiatric clinics for children and youths and their families.
(b) For the purposes of this section, "child guidance clinic" means a subset of psychiatric clinics for children designated by the Department of Children and Families pursuant
to this section to receive grant funds for the purpose of assisting the department to
provide community-based psychiatric services for children, youths and families. In order
to meet such mandate, the department shall designate a subset of outpatient psychiatric
clinics for children to be known as child guidance clinics. The department shall provide
grants to such child guidance clinics in accordance with the provisions of this section.
Any town having a population of not less than forty thousand, as most recently determined by the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or any combination
of towns with a combined population of not less than forty thousand as similarly determined, or any nonprofit corporation organized or existing for the purpose of establishing
or maintaining a psychiatric clinic for children and youths or for children and youths
and their families, or any clinic designated by the Department of Children and Families
as of January 1, 1995, may apply to the Department of Children and Families for funds
to be used to assist in establishing, maintaining or expanding a psychiatric clinic. The
applications, and any grant of funds pursuant thereto, shall not be subject to the provisions of section 17a-476, except to the extent required by federal law. The department
shall base any grant of funds on the services provided to children and youths under
eighteen years of age and on the effectiveness of the services. No grant shall exceed
two-thirds of the ordinary recurring operating expenses of the clinic, nor shall any grant
be made to pay for any portion of capital expenditures for the clinic. No clinic in existence
as of October 1, 1995, shall be eligible for grants of any funds under this section unless
it has obtained a license within six months of the adoption of regulations under subsection
(c) of this section. No clinic receiving funds under this section shall refuse services to
any resident of this state solely because of his or her place of residence.
(c) The Department of Children and Families shall adopt regulations, in accordance
with the provisions of chapter 54, defining the minimum requirements for outpatient
psychiatric clinics for children to be eligible for licensure under this section in regard
to (1) qualification and number of staff members, (2) clinic operation including but
not limited to physical plant, governing body and recordkeeping, (3) effectiveness of
services, and (4) populations targeted for priority access. The regulations shall also
govern the granting of the funds to assist in establishing, maintaining and expanding
psychiatric clinics. The department shall, upon payment of a fee of three hundred dollars,
issue to any qualifying clinic a license that shall be in force for twenty-four months from
the date of issue and shall be renewable for additional twenty-four-month periods, upon
payment of a fee of three hundred dollars for each such period, provided the clinic
continues to meet conditions satisfactory to the department. The department shall make
available to child guidance clinics forms to be used in making application for available
funds. Upon receipt of proper application, the department shall grant the funds, provided
the plans for financing, the standards of operation and the effectiveness of services of
the clinics are approved by the department in accordance with the provisions of this
section. The grants shall be made on an annual basis.
(P.A. 75-524, S. 13, 30; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 81-85; P.A. 82-472, S. 55, 183; P.A. 86-378; P.A. 90-287, S.
1; P.A. 93-91, S. 1, 2; 93-381, S. 9, 39; P.A. 95-349, S. 6; P.A. 06-196, S. 110.)
History: P.A. 77-614 replaced commissioner of health with commissioner of health services, effective January 1, 1979;
P.A. 81-85 amended the definition of psychiatric clinic and community mental health facility to include general hospitals
with psychiatric clinic services or emergency psychiatric inpatient services; P.A. 82-472 made a technical correction; P.A.
86-378 added Subsec. (b) providing a grant for at least one child guidance clinic in northern and southern Middlesex
County; P.A. 90-287 required the department to define minimum grant eligibility requirements re populations targeted for
priority access; Sec. 17-424 transferred to Sec. 17a-20 in 1991. P.A. 93-91 substituted commissioner and department of
children and families for commissioner and department of children and youth services, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner of health services with commissioner of public health and addiction services, effective July
1, 1993; P.A. 95-349 deleted references to "community mental health facility" and provisions re state assistance to towns
for their establishment, amended the definition of "psychiatric clinic" and added Subsecs. (b) and (c) re child guidance
clinics, replacing former Subsec. (b); P.A. 06-196 made technical changes in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective June 7, 2006.