(a) The duties of the Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder include the following:1. Conducting a review and evaluation of the management and functioning of the existing publicly supported mental health and substance use disorder systems and services in the department, the Agency for Health Care Administration, and all other departments which administer mental health and substance use disorder services. Such review shall include, at a minimum, a review of current goals and objectives, current planning, services strategies, coordination management, purchasing, contracting, financing, local government funding responsibility, and accountability mechanisms.
2. Considering the unique needs of persons who are dually diagnosed.
3. Addressing access to, financing of, and scope of responsibility in the delivery of emergency behavioral health care services.
4. Addressing the quality and effectiveness of current mental health and substance use disorder services delivery systems, and professional staffing and clinical structure of services, roles, and responsibilities of public and private providers, such as community mental health centers; community substance use disorder agencies; hospitals, including emergency services departments; law enforcement agencies; and the judicial system.
5. Addressing priority population groups for publicly funded mental health and substance use disorder services, identifying the comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services delivery systems, mental health and substance use disorder needs assessment and planning activities, and local government funding responsibilities for mental health and substance use disorder services.
6. Reviewing the implementation of chapter 2020-107, Laws of Florida.
7. Identifying any gaps in the provision of mental health and substance use disorder services.
8. Providing recommendations on how behavioral health managing entities may fulfill their purpose of promoting service continuity and work with community stakeholders throughout this state in furtherance of supporting the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline system and other crisis response services.
9. Conducting an overview of the current infrastructure of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline system.
10. Analyzing the current capacity of crisis response services available throughout this state, including services provided by mobile response teams and centralized receiving facilities. The analysis must include information on the geographic area and the total population served by each mobile response team along with the average response time to each call made to a mobile response team; the number of calls that a mobile response team was unable to respond to due to staff limitations, travel distance, or other factors; and the veteran status and age groups of individuals served by mobile response teams.
11. Evaluating and making recommendations to improve linkages between the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline infrastructure and crisis response services within this state.
12. Identifying available mental health block grant funds that can be used to support the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and crisis response infrastructure within this state, including any available funding through opioid settlements or through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-2; the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Pub. L. No. 116-136; or other federal legislation.
13. In consultation with the Agency for Health Care Administration, identifying sources of funding available through the Medicaid program specifically for crisis response services, including funding that may be available by seeking approval of a Section 1115 waiver submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
14. Making recommendations regarding the mission and objectives of state-supported mental health and substance use disorder services and the planning, management, staffing, financing, contracting, coordination, and accountability mechanisms which will best foster the recommended mission and objectives.
15. Evaluating and making recommendations regarding the establishment of a permanent, agency-level entity to manage mental health, substance use disorder, and related services statewide. At a minimum, the evaluation must consider and describe the:a. Specific duties and organizational structure proposed for the entity;
b. Resource needs of the entity and possible sources of funding;
c. Estimated impact on access to and quality of services;
d. Impact on individuals with behavioral health needs and their families, both those currently served through the affected systems providing behavioral health services and those in need of services; and
e. Relation to, integration with, and impact on providers, managing entities, communities, state agencies, and systems which provide mental health and substance use disorder services in this state. Such recommendations must ensure that the ability of such other agencies and systems to carry out their missions and responsibilities is not impaired.
16. Evaluating and making recommendations regarding skills-based training that teaches participants about mental health and substance use disorder issues, including, but not limited to, Mental Health First Aid models.
