Conn. Gen. Stat. § 17a-470 (2026)

Each state-operated facility for the treatment of persons with psychiatric disabilities or persons with substance use disorders, or both, shall have an advisory board appointed by the superintendent or director of the facility for terms to be decided by such superintendent or director. The superintendent or director shall appoint at least two persons with lived experience with a behavioral health disorder to the advisory board. In any case where the present number of members of an advisory board is less than the number of members designated by the superintendent or director of the facility, the superintendent or director shall appoint additional members to such board in accordance with this section in such manner that the terms of an approximately equal number of members shall expire in each odd-numbered year. The superintendent or director shall fill any vacancy that may occur for the unexpired portion of any term. No member shall serve more than two successive terms plus the balance of any unexpired term to which the member had been appointed. The superintendent or director of the facility shall be an ex-officio member of the advisory board. Each member of an advisory board of a state-operated facility within the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services assigned a geographical territory shall be a resident of the assigned geographical territory. Members of said advisory boards shall receive no compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses involved in the performance of their duties. At least one-third of such members shall be from regional behavioral health action organizations, established pursuant to section 17a-484f, and at least one-third shall be members of the catchment area councils, as provided in section 17a-483, for the catchment areas served by such facility, except that members serving as of October 1, 1977, shall serve out their terms.

(1972, P.A. 145, S. 9; P.A. 76-435, S. 56, 82; P.A. 77-83; P.A. 80-2, S. 1, 2; P.A. 81-473, S. 7, 43; P.A. 84-7, S. 1, 3; P.A. 95-257, S. 17, 58; P.A. 07-148, S. 14; P.A. 18-86, S. 15; P.A. 22-69, S. 5; P.A. 23-121, S. 1.)

History: P.A. 76-435 replaced “security treatment center” with “Whiting Forensic Institute”; P.A. 77-83 required that one-third of members of board be members of catchment area councils except that present members to serve out their terms; P.A. 80-2 excepted Dubois Day Treatment Center from requirement for 15-member institution advisory board and revised provisions to reflect completion of transition from boards of trustees to advisory boards and added Subsec. (b) containing special provisions for Dubois Day Treatment Center; P.A. 81-473 eliminated the requirement that each state hospital or facility for the treatment of the mentally disordered have an advisory board of 15 members appointed by the commissioner and provided for optional appointment of such boards by the superintendent or director of the hospital or facility and deleted Subsec. (b) which had established a 7-member advisory board for the Dubois Day Treatment Center; P.A. 84-7 excepted the Connecticut Mental Health Center and the Whiting Forensic Institute from the requirement that each state facility for the mentally disordered have an advisory board; Sec. 17-213a transferred to Sec. 17a-470 in 1991; P.A. 95-257 changed name of Whiting Forensic Institute to Whiting Forensic Division, and included it in facilities authorized to have an advisory board, required at least one-third of board members to be from a substance abuse subregional planning and action council and replaced Department of Mental Health with Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 07-148 replaced “substance abuse disabilities” with “substance use disorders”; P.A. 18-86 deleted “Division of the Connecticut Valley”, effective June 4, 2018; P.A. 22-69 replaced reference to substance abuse subregional planning and action council with reference to regional behavioral health action organizations, effective May 24, 2022; P.A. 23-121 deleted references to state hospitals and Whiting Forensic Hospital, deleted provision re exception for Connecticut Mental Health Center, substituted “shall” for “may”, added provision re appointment of at least 2 persons with lived experience with a behavioral health disorder and made technical changes.

(Return to Chapter Table of Contents)

(Return to List of Chapters)

(Return to List of Titles)