Sec. 17a-452. (Formerly Sec. 17-210b). Deputy commissioners.
Sec. 17a-452. (Formerly Sec. 17-210b). Deputy commissioners. (a) There shall
be two deputy commissioners of mental health and addiction services appointed by the
commissioner with the advice of the Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
The deputy commissioner for mental health services shall hold a master's degree or
higher, shall have a minimum of ten years' experience in business, hospital, health or
mental health administration and shall be responsible for the supervision of medical and
other treatment activities of the Division of Mental Health. The deputy commissioner
for addiction services shall hold a master's degree or higher, shall have a minimum of
ten years' experience in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse and shall be
knowledgeable in substance abuse program planning and administration and shall be
responsible for the supervision and coordination of all substance abuse activities of the
department and with other departments.
(b) There shall be a medical director appointed by the Commissioner of Mental
Health and Addiction Services with the advice of the Board of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The medical director shall be a qualified physician licensed to practice
medicine in Connecticut and shall have experience in comprehensive health care or
human services operations. The medical director shall be responsible for (1) the quality
and appropriateness of services by developing policies relating to clinical services regulated by the department and those services delivered in department facilities or under
contract to the department; (2) directing a standards and quality assurance program, a
utilization review program, a physician recruitment and retention program and a peer
review program for physicians and other clinical staff employed by or under contract
to the department; and (3) other tasks as directed by the commissioner.
(1972, P.A. 145, S. 4; P.A. 95-257, S. 15, 58.)
History: Sec. 17-210b transferred to Sec. 17a-452 in 1991; P.A. 95-257 replaced mental health with mental health and
addiction services, eliminated the requirement that one of the two deputy commissioners be a psychiatrist, requiring instead
a master's degree or higher, required the experience be for a minimum of 10 years and added "business" as one of the
areas of administration experience, eliminated the requirement that the other deputy commissioner be for administrative
services, requiring instead that he be for addiction services and set forth the qualifications, and added Subsec. (b) re a
medical director, effective July 1, 1995.