Section R523-21-4 - Minimum Guidelines and Standards of Care(1) Receiving centers will adhere to the following: (a) Accept each referral, offer walk-in and first responder drop-offs options, and provide both a basic medical and targeted biopsychosocial assessments for individuals who walk in or are dropped off for services.(b) Prohibit any medical clearance requirements prior to admission.(c) Assess and support individuals for medical stability while in the program.(d) Design services to address mental health and substance use crisis issues.(e) Employ staff at a capacity able to assess an individual's physical health needs, and deliver care for most minor physical health challenges with an identified path to transfer the individual to additional medically staffed services if needed.(f) Staff the center at all times, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, with a multidisciplinary team capable of meeting the needs of individuals experiencing any level of behavioral health crisis in the community. Minimum staffing ratios for shifts excluding graveyard shifts should be 6 staff to 16 clients, or 4 staff to 8 clients, and graveyard shifts with ratios of 5 staff to 16 clients, or 4 staff to 8 clients. Multi-disciplinary teams must include: (i) psychiatrists or psychiatric nurse practitioners, which may satisfy the a center's staffing requirement though the use of telehealth,(iii) licensed and credentialed mental health therapists capable of completing assessments, with at least 1 licensed mental health therapist present 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,(iv) a licensed mental health therapist may be off-site during graveyard hours, if they can respond on-site within an average response time of 30 minutes, and(v) certified Peer Support Specialists with lived behavioral health experience similar to the experience of the population served.(g) Structure the center to accept each referral including any referral from a first responder.(h) Provide recliners for up to 23 hours for assessment, observation, stabilization, crisis management and support.(i) Screen for suicide risk, and complete comprehensive suicide risk assessments and planning when clinically indicated.(j) Screen for violence risk, and complete more comprehensive violence risk assessments and planning when clinically indicated.(k) Provide or coordinate with the broad health and behavioral health treatment and recovery system in order to provide connection to appropriate levels of care including immediate placements into services such as detox units, social detox, withdrawal management, medication management, residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment for mental illness or substance use disorders, and warm-handoffs or referrals to ongoing, long term, services such as case management, peer support, psychotherapy, medication management, medication assisted treatment, addiction services, housing and employment.Utah Admin. Code R523-21-4
Adopted by Utah State Bulletin Number 2020-20, effective 9/29/2020