Mental health: medical transportation services.

Existing law, the Bronzan-McCorquodale Act, contains provisions governing the operation and financing of community mental health services for the mentally disordered in every county through locally administered and locally controlled community mental health programs. Existing law requires the board of supervisors of every county, or the boards of supervisors of counties acting jointly, as prescribed, to establish a community mental health service to cover the entire area of the county or counties. Existing law requires each community mental health service to establish a mental health board, with specified powers and duties. The mental health board may be established as an advisory board or a commission, depending on the preference of the county. This bill would require each mental health board or commission to facilitate the development and implementation of a written memorandum of understanding (MOU) between emergency and nonemergency medical transportation entities, local law enforcement, Medi-Cal managed care mental health plans, general acute care hospitals, and acute psychiatric hospitals, to provide for the delivery of emergency and nonemergency medical transportation services for individuals with mental illness. This bill would require that the MOU be developed and implemented not later than one year after the date that this measure becomes effective. If the mental health board or commission fails to facilitate the development and implementation of the MOU within the specified time, the bill would require the board of supervisors in each county, or the boards of supervisors of counties acting jointly, to develop and implement the MOU. By increasing county duties with respect to community mental health services, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.