7.15 - Programs of the office of mental health.
§ 7.15 Programs of the office of mental health. (a) The commissioner shall plan, promote, establish, develop, coordinate, evaluate, and conduct programs and services of prevention, diagnosis, examination, care, treatment, rehabilitation, training, and research for the benefit of the mentally ill. Such programs shall include but not be limited to in-patient, out-patient, partial hospitalization, day care, emergency, rehabilitative, and other appropriate treatments and services. He or she shall take all actions that are necessary, desirable, or proper to implement the purposes of this chapter and to carry out the purposes and objectives of the department within the amounts made available therefor by appropriation, grant, gift, devise, bequest, or allocation from the mental health services fund established under section ninety-seven-f of the state finance law. (b) The activities described in subdivision (a) of this section may be undertaken in cooperation and agreement with other offices of the department and with other departments or agencies of the state, local or federal government, or with other organizations and individuals. (c) The commissioner shall prepare annually for the governor, the legislature and the state commission on quality of care for the mentally disabled a written evaluation report concerning the delivery of care and services in family care homes and other community residences and projected plans for providing and improving such homes and residences. Such report concerning family care shall detail efforts to maintain and improve the quality of care for the mentally ill in the family care program including, but not limited to the following: 1. An evaluation of the procedures implemented by the office to ensure full compliance with existing statutes and the rules and regulations of the office pertaining to the family care programs. 2. A detailed description of the organizational structure developed by the office to administer the family care program including identification of the responsibility and accountability of office staff pertaining to the family care program. 3. A detailed description of the amounts and sources of funds expended annually for the family care program. Such expenditure description shall include amounts appropriated by the legislature, allocated and expended for the family care program by facility including, but not limited to respite care, clothing, recreation, personal allowance and transportation expenditures. 4. Identification of procedures implemented to ensure that funds appropriated by the legislature for the family care program are not inappropriately directed to other purposes. 5. Identification of projected plans for improving the delivery of care and services to participants in family care homes. On or before March first of each year he shall submit a copy of such report, and such recommendations as he may deem appropriate, to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the respective minority leaders of each such house, and the chairman of the state commission on quality of care for the mentally disabled.