24 U.S.C. § 225 — Findings and purposes

submitted 42 years ago by Pub. L. 98-621 to r/title-24-HOSPITALS-AND-ASYLUMS · 788 words · no verdicts yet

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Congress found that mental health services in Washington, D.C. were split between federally run Saint Elizabeths Hospital and the District's own mental health agency, and that the District should take over these responsibilities in a coordinated, community-based system. Congress intended the District to have a full, integrated mental health system running by October 1, 1993, built with fairness to Hospital employees, adequate funding from both governments, and continued federal research at the Hospital.

(a) Congress made these findings: (1) Washington, D.C.'s government-run mental health services came from two separate places: the federally run Saint Elizabeths Hospital, and the D.C. Department of Human Resources' Mental Health Services Administration. (2) The District of Columbia has an ongoing duty to provide mental health services to its residents. (3) For over 100 years, the federal government - by running a national mental health program at Saint Elizabeths Hospital - has helped the District carry out that duty. (4) Since Congress created it in 1855, Saint Elizabeths Hospital has grown into a respected national mental health hospital offering: inpatient psychiatric care for both acute and chronic cases; outpatient psychiatric and substance abuse services; forensic psychiatric evaluation and treatment for the federal court system's prisoners and people awaiting or after trial; care for people entitled to federal mental health benefits, like certain military and Foreign Service members and people living in U.S. overseas territories; the same forensic services for the D.C. court system; programs for special groups, like people who are both deaf and mentally ill; support for mental health research done by the National Institute of Mental Health and others; and training for mental health professionals and paraprofessionals. (5) The services Saint Elizabeths Hospital currently provides must keep being available, because they are closely tied to: making sure mental health services stay available to D.C. residents, nonresidents needing care while in D.C., people entitled to federal mental health services, and people referred by federal or local courts; and to the nation's ability to learn more about mental illness and keep developing good treatment methods. (6) Shifting some or all of Saint Elizabeths Hospital's functions, programs, and resources from the federal government to the District, and folding them into one comprehensive, District-run mental health system, will make services more efficient and effective by focusing care on an integrated, community-based system. (7) Doing this would also support the principle of home rule for the District of Columbia. (b) Congress intended that: (1) By no later than October 1, 1993, the District have a coordinated mental health system providing: high-quality, cost-effective, community-based programs and facilities; a full continuum of inpatient care, outpatient care, residential treatment, and support services, using an appropriate mix of public and private resources; and protections for patients' rights and medical needs. (2) The District's comprehensive mental health system fully comply with the federal court consent decree in Dixon v. Heckler. (3) The District and federal governments share the costs of the transition fairly. (4) The transition give strong consideration to Hospital employees' interests, and give them a right of first refusal for comparable jobs created under the new system. (5) The federal government be responsible for retraining Hospital employees so they are ready for jobs in the new District mental health system. (6) The federal government keep funding high-quality mental health research, training, and demonstration programs at Saint Elizabeths Hospital. (7) The District government set and maintain accreditation and licensing standards for all District mental health facility services, matching relevant federal rules and standards comparable to the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. (8) The overall mental health system plan include a piece specifically addressing services for people who are homeless and mentally ill.

the actual law source: uscode.house.gov ↗public domain

(a)

The Congress makes the following findings:

(1)

Governmentally administered mental health services in the District of Columbia are currently provided through two separate public entities, the federally administered Saint Elizabeths Hospital and the Mental Health Services Administration of the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources.

(2)

The District of Columbia has a continuing responsibility to provide mental health services to its residents.

(3)

The Federal Government, through its operation of a national mental health program at Saint Elizabeths Hospital, has for over 100 years assisted the District of Columbia in carrying out that responsibility.

(4)

Since its establishment by Congress in 1855, Saint Elizabeths Hospital has developed into a respected national mental health hospital and study, training, and treatment center, providing a range of quality mental health and related services, including—

(i)

acute and chronic inpatient psychiatric care;

(ii)

outpatient psychiatric and substance abuse clinical and related services;

(iii)

Federal court system forensic psychiatry referral, evaluation, and patient treatment services for prisoners, and for individuals awaiting trial or requiring post-trial or post-sentence psychiatric evaluation;

(iv)

patient care and related services for designated classes of individuals entitled to mental health benefits under Federal law, such as certain members and employees of the United States Armed Forces and the Foreign Service, and residents of American overseas dependencies;

(v)

District of Columbia court system forensic psychiatry referral, evaluation, and patient treatment services for prisoners, and for individuals awaiting trial or requiring post-trial or postsentence psychiatric evaluation;

(vi)

programs for special populations such as the mentally ill deaf;

(vii)

support for basic and applied clinical psychiatric research and related patient services conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and other institutions; and

(viii)

professional and paraprofessional training in the major mental health disciplines.

(5)

The continuation of the range of services currently provided by federally administered Saint Elizabeths Hospital must be assured, as these services are integrally related to—

(i)

the availability of adequate mental health services to District of Columbia residents, nonresidents who require mental health services while in the District of Columbia, individuals entitled to mental health services under Federal law, and individuals referred by both Federal and local court systems; and

(ii)

the Nation’s capacity to increase our knowledge and understanding about mental illness and to facilitate and continue the development and broad availability of sound and modern methods and approaches for the treatment of mental illness.

(6)

The assumption of all or selected functions, programs, and resources of Saint Elizabeths Hospital from the Federal Government by the District of Columbia, and the integration of those functions, resources, and programs into a comprehensive mental health care system administered solely by the District of Columbia, will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the services currently provided through those two separate entities by shifting the primary focus of care to an integrated community-based system.

(7)

Such assumption of all or selected functions, programs, and resources of Saint Elizabeths Hospital by the District of Columbia would further the principle of home rule for the District of Columbia.

(b)

It is the intent of Congress that—

(1)

the District of Columbia have in operation no later than October 1, 1993, an integrated coordinated mental health system in the District which provides—

(A)

high quality, cost-effective, and community-based programs and facilities;

(B)

a continuum of inpatient and outpatient mental health care, residential treatment, and support services through an appropriate balance of public and private resources; and

(C)

assurances that patient rights and medical needs are protected;

(2)

the comprehensive District mental health care system be in full compliance with the Federal court consent decree in Dixon v. Heckler;

(3)

the District and Federal Governments bear equitable shares of the costs of a transition from the present system to a comprehensive District mental health system;

(4)

the transition to a comprehensive District mental health system provided for by this subchapter be carried out with maximum consideration for the interests of employees of the Hospital and provide a right-of-first-refusal to such employees for employment at comparable levels in positions created under the system implementation plan;

(5)

the Federal Government have the responsibility for the retraining of Hospital employees to prepare such employees for the requirements of employment in a comprehensive District mental health system;

(6)

the Federal Government continue high quality mental health research, training, and demonstration programs at Saint Elizabeths Hospital;

(7)

the District government establish and maintain accreditation and licensing standards for all services provided in District mental health facilities which assure quality care consistent with appropriate Federal regulations and comparable with standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals; and

(8)

the comprehensive mental health system plan include a component for direct services for the homeless mentally ill.

Source credit: (Pub. L. 98–621, § 2, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat. 3369; Pub. L. 102–150, § 3(a), Oct. 31, 1991, 105 Stat. 980.)

history & why it existsrecord from the source credit

1984Enacted · Pub. L. 98-621 · 98 Stat. 3369
1991Amended · Pub. L. 102-150 · 105 Stat. 980

A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 98-621 on 1984-11-08.

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