Cognitively impaired adults: caregiver resource centers.

Under existing law, the Director of Health Care Services and the Statewide Resources Consultant administer a program to provide various services to brain-impaired adults and their families and caregivers. Existing law requires the director to contract with a nonprofit community agency meeting prescribed criteria to act as the Statewide Resources Consultant, and prescribes the duties of the consultant. Existing law also requires the director to contract with nonprofit community resource agencies to establish regionally based resource centers to ensure the existence of an array of appropriate programs and services for brain-impaired adults. This bill would repeal and recast those provisions. This bill would require the director to, among other things, maintain or enter into contracts directly with nonprofit caregiver resource centers (CRCs) to provide direct services to caregivers of cognitively impaired adults, as defined, throughout the state. These services would include, but not be limited to, specialized information, family consultation, respite care, short-term counseling, and support groups. The bill would require the CRCs to submit progress reports on their activities, as specified. The bill would authorize the director to enter into any contracts for these purposes on a bid or nonbid basis. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.