Title 7 — Human Health Care and Safety.

This chapter may be cited as the “Department of Mental Health Establishment Amendment Act of 2001”.

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) “Behavioral health” means a person’s overall social, emotional, and psychological well-being and development. (1A) “Behavioral health assessment” means a more thorough and comprehensive examination by a mental health professional of…

(a) There is established as a separate cabinet-level Department, subordinate to the Mayor, the Department of Mental Health. (b) The Department shall be the successor in interest to the Commission on Mental Health Services, established by Mayor’s Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1986,…

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Department of Mental Health shall: (1) Plan, develop, coordinate, and monitor comprehensive and integrated mental health systems of care for adults and for children, youth, and their families in the District, so as to maximize utili…

The Department shall be administered by a full-time Director appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the Council. The Director, who shall report to the Mayor, shall be qualified by experience and training to carry out the purposes of this chapter. In addition to such other duties…

The Department shall have a Chief Financial Officer (“Department CFO”), who shall be appointed by the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia (“District’s CFO”) in collaboration with the Director. The Department CFO shall: (1) Be qualified by experience and training t…

The Department shall have a Chief Clinical Officer, appointed by the Director, and qualified by experience and training to carry out the following functions: (1) Advising the Director on standards, quality assurance, risk management, and clinical practice; (2) Advising the Direct…

(a) The Department shall have a General Counsel or the equivalent, appointed by the Attorney General as an employee of the Office of the Attorney General, after consultation with the Director of the Department. The General Counsel or the equivalent shall: (1) Be an attorney admit…

The Department shall have a Consumer and Family Affairs officer, appointed by the Director, and qualified by experience and training to carry out the following functions: (1) Ensuring the involvement of consumers of mental health services and their family members in the design, i…

(a) The Director shall appoint and convene a Partnership Council, consisting of between 15 and 25 people, to advise the Director, upon his or her request, with respect to departmental matters. (b) The membership of the Partnership Council shall represent the range of interests an…

(a) In conformity with Mayor’s Order 99-60, effective March 16, 1999, the Director shall convene a System of Mental Health Care Sub-Council of the District’s Intragovernmental Youth Investment Collaborative, for the purpose of developing a system of care for children, youth, and …

(a) All real and personal property, Career and Excepted Service, Management Supervisory Service, and trainee positions, assets, records, and obligations, and all unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other funds available or to be made available relating to the …

The Office of Corporation Counsel shall have charge of the prosecution of actions brought in the name of the District of Columbia for emergency detention and commitment of persons requiring receipt of involuntary mental health services and mental health supports. The Office of th…

No later than October 1, 2001, and in accordance with Chapter 5 of Title 2, the Department shall issue rules establishing: (1) Definitions for priority populations, including, but not limited to persons with serious mental illness and children or youth with serious emotional dist…

(a) The Department shall have authority to request the Medical Assistance Administration to seek the approval of the federal Health Care Financing Administration for the amendment to the District of Columbia Medicaid State Plan to add Medicaid rehabilitation services, which was s…

Effective October 1, 2006, the Department shall transfer to DYRS all full-time equivalent positions and funding, real and personal property leased or assigned to the Department, assets, records, ongoing obligations, unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations, and other fu…

(a) As of October 1, 2012, there is established within the Department, and shall be made available to all child development facilities, public schools, and public charter schools, a program that, at a minimum, provides participants with the tools needed to: (1) Identify students …

(a) By March 30, 2013, the Department shall: (1) Create a behavioral health resource guide for parents and legal guardians that includes information on: (A) Common signs and symptoms of behavioral health issues facing youth; (B) The roles and responsibilities of District governme…

(a) As of October 1, 2012, there is established within the Department a Behavioral Health Ombudsman Program (“Ombudsman Program”) to provide District residents with assistance in accessing behavioral health programs and services. (b)(1) Pursuant to its power set forth in § 7-1131…

(a) There is established within the Department, in partnership with UDC, a nurse training program, which shall offer tuition reimbursement for courses at UDC for a licensed practical nurse employed by Saint Elizabeths Hospital to become a registered nurse or for a registered nurs…

(a) There is established as a nonlapsing fund the Department of Mental Health Enterprise Fund (“Fund”) into which shall be deposited all fees, proceeds, and revenues collected from the activities and operations of a food cafeteria managed and operated by the Department of Mental …