Healthcare (Mental Health)

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 177 to allow the Department of Highways to install signs that display the 988 national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline on bridges on state-maintained highways.

Amend KRS 222.233 to require behavioral health multi-specialty groups or any entity that bills for peer support services to only employ specifically qualified alcohol and drug peer support specialists until January 1, 2028; extend the time period in which other alcohol and other drug treatment entities and behavioral health service organizations may only employ specifically qualified alcohol and drug peer support specialists to January 1, 2028; remove references to temporary alcohol and drug peer support specialists; amend KRS 309.0805 and 309.0813 to remove references to temporary alcohol and drug peer support specialists; repeal KRS 309.0836, relating to temporary alcohol and drug peer support specialists; establish the Peer Support Professionals Work Group to submit recommendations to the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services regarding the creation of a board of peer support professionals to develop statewide requirements for licensed peer support professionals; EMERGENCY.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 311A to create the EMS Professionals Foundation Program fund; specify the ambulance services and EMS professionals that are eligible to share in the distribution of the fund; provide that the Board of Emergency Medical Services shall administer the fund and may promulgate administrative regulations to facilitate its administration; authorize reimbursement for an EMS professional's out-of-pocket costs for mental health treatment for a diagnosed post-traumatic stress injury or post-traumatic stress disorder; provide for annual supplements to ambulance providers for each EMS professional it employs; amend KRS 42.190 and 136.392 to include the EMS Professionals Foundation Program fund to the premium surcharge; amend KRS 61.315 to include eligibility for in the line of duty death benefits to specified ambulance service providers.