Title 7 — Human Health Care and Safety.

Each year, the Mayor of the District of Columbia shall take suitable public notice of October 15th as White Cane Safety Day. He shall issue a proclamation commenting upon the significance of the white cane, and calling upon the citizens of the District of Columbia to observe the …

For the purposes of this chapter: (1) The term “blind person” means, and the term “blind” refers to, a person who is totally blind, has impaired vision of not more than 20/200 visual acuity in the better eye and for whom vision cannot be improved to better than 20/200, or who has…

The Mayor of the District of Columbia is hereby authorized to enter into and execute on behalf of the District of Columbia an agreement with any state or states legally joining therein in the form substantially as set forth in this section. THE INTERSTATE COMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH…

Pursuant to this Compact, the Director of the Department of Mental Health shall be the Compact Administrator and, acting jointly with like officers of party states, shall have power to promulgate rules and regulations to carry out more effectively the terms of the Compact. The Co…

The Compact Administrator is hereby authorized and empowered to enter into supplementary agreements with appropriate officials of party states pursuant to Articles VII and XI of the Compact. In the event that such supplementary agreements shall require or contemplate the use of a…

The Compact Administrator, subject to the approval of the Mayor or his designated agent, may make or arrange for any payments necessary to discharge any financial obligations imposed upon the District of Columbia by the Compact or by any supplementary agreement entered into there…

The Compact Administrator is hereby directed to consult with the immediate family of any proposed transferee and, in the case of a proposed transferee from an institution in the District of Columbia to an institution in a party state, to take no final action without approval of t…

Duly authorized copies of this chapter shall, upon its approval, be transmitted by the Mayor or his designated agent to the Governor of each state, the Attorney General and the Administrator of General Services of the United States, and the Council of State Governments.

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 …

For the purposes of this chapter, the term: (1) “Behavioral health” means a person’s overall social, emotional, and psychological well-being and development. (2) “Behavioral health services” means stand-alone and co-occurring, integrated treatment services for substance abuse and…

(a) There is established as a separate, cabinet-level Department, subordinate to the Mayor, the Department of Behavioral Health. (b) The Department shall be the successor-in-interest to the Department of Mental Health, established by Chapter 11A of this title [§ 7-1131.01 et seq.…

The Department shall be headed by a Director, who shall: (1) Be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council, pursuant to § 1-523.01(a); (2) Be qualified by experience and training to carry out the purposes of the Department as set forth in § 7-1141.05; and (…

In addition to other duties as may be lawfully imposed, the Director shall: (1) Supervise and direct the Department; (2) Organize the Department for its efficient operation, including creating offices within the Department, as necessary; and (3) Exercise any other powers necessar…

The Department shall: (1) Ensure the provision of high-quality behavioral health services by establishing District-wide behavioral health standards and policies; (2) Foster and promote behavioral health education and disease prevention; (3) Provide high-quality prevention, treatm…

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

(a) The following powers, duties, functions, and responsibilities are hereby transferred to the Department of Behavioral Health, effective October 1, 2013: (1) All real and personal property, Career and Excepted Service, Management Supervisory Service, trainee positions, assets, …

All rulemaking and regulations for the administration of the District’s public mental health system and the addiction, recovery, and prevention system, issued under appropriate authority, shall continue in full force and effect until otherwise superseded.

(a) To the extent any provision of Chapter 11A of this title [§ 7-1131.01 et seq.], is inconsistent with a provision of this chapter, the provision of this chapter shall govern and shall be deemed to supersede the inconsistent provision. (b) The Department of Health Addiction Pre…

[Not funded].

[Not funded].

[Not funded].

No later than 30 days before the first day of a fiscal year, the Department of Mental Health shall issue to each certified Mental Health Rehabilitation Services provider a statement of anticipated annual funding. The statement shall include language that the anticipated funding l…

For purposes of this chapter: (1) “Administrative information” means a client’s name, age, sex, address, identifying number or numbers, dates and character of sessions (individual or group), and fees. (2) “Client” means any individual who receives or has received professional ser…

(a) Except as specifically authorized by subchapter II, III, or IV of this chapter, no mental health professional, mental health facility, data collector or employee or agent of a mental health professional, mental health facility or data collector shall disclose or permit the di…

If a mental health professional makes personal notes regarding a client, such personal notes shall not be maintained as a part of the client’s record of mental health information. Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, access to such personal notes shall be strictly…

(a) Upon disclosure of any of the client’s mental health information pursuant to subchapter II, III, or IV of this chapter, a notation shall be entered and maintained with the client’s record of mental health information which includes: (1) The date of the disclosure; (2) The nam…

Except as provided in § 7-1202.06, a mental health professional, mental health facility, data collector or employee or agent of a mental health professional, mental health facility or data collector shall disclose mental health information and a client in a group session may disc…

(a) Any written authorization which authorizes disclosure pursuant to § 7-1202.01 shall: (1) Specify the nature of the information to be disclosed, the type of persons authorized to disclose such information, to whom the information may be disclosed and the specific purposes for …

Mental health information disclosed pursuant to this subchapter cannot be further disclosed by the recipient without authorization as provided in § 7-1202.01.

Except as provided in § 7-1202.02(a)(3), the person or persons who authorize a disclosure may revoke an authorization by providing a written revocation to the recipient named in the authorization and to the mental health professional, mental health facility or data collector auth…