Section 19a-NEW - [Newly enacted section not yet numbered] Peer-run respite center(a) As used in this section:(1) "BIPOC" means a person who is black, indigenous or a person of color;(2) "Peer-run organization" means a nonprofit organization that (A) is controlled and operated by persons who have psychiatric histories or have experienced other life-interrupting challenges, and (B) provides a place for support and advocacy for persons who experience similar challenges, including, but not limited to, peer respite services and peer support services;(3) "Peer-run respite center" means a facility that is operated by a peer-run organization in a safe, physical space that employs peer support specialists to provide peer respite services and peer support services for persons age eighteen and older who are experiencing emotional or mental distress, either as an immediate precursor to or as part of a mental health crisis;(4) "Peer respite services" means voluntary, trauma-informed, short-term services provided to adults in a home-like environment that are the least restrictive of individual freedom, culturally competent and focus on recovery, resiliency and wellness;(5) "Peer support services" means assistance that promotes engagement, socialization, recovery, self-sufficiency, self-advocacy, development of natural supports and identification of personal strengths;(6) "Peer support specialist" means a person who has a psychiatric history or has experienced similarly life-interrupting challenges, who has experience in the provision of peer respite services and peer support services and has completed training specified by the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services; and(7) "TQI+" means persons who identify as transgender, queer or questioning, intersex or other gender identities.(b) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall establish, within available appropriations, a peer-run respite center. The commissioner shall contract with a peer-run organization to operate such peer-run respite center.(c) Not later than October 1, 2025, the commissioner shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health regarding the peer-run respite center and post such report on the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services' Internet web site. Such report shall (1) identify any barriers to implementing the peer-run respite center established pursuant to this section and include recommendations for addressing such barriers; (2) share data regarding the outcomes and effectiveness of the peer-run respite center and, based on such data, make recommendations regarding the establishment of additional peer-run respite centers in the state, including, but not limited to, the establishment of peer-run respite centers managed, operated and controlled by members of the BIPOC, TQI+ and Spanish-speaking communities who have psychiatric histories or related lived experience; and (3) review other states' practices regarding the establishment of a peer-run technical assistance center that may (A) assist peer-run respite centers in hiring and recruiting peer support specialists and other staff, (B) promote community awareness of peer-run respite centers, (C) evaluate and identify the need for peer respite services in communities throughout the state, (D) evaluate the effectiveness and quality of peer respite services in the state, (E) convene peer respite services meetings throughout the state to facilitate networking, collaboration and shared learning, (F) consult peer-run respite centers regarding development of peer respite services, (G) develop resources to support the supervision of peer support specialists, and (H) in consultation with peer-run respite centers and stakeholders in the TQI+, BIPOC and Spanish-speaking communities, develop recommendations regarding (i) best practices for delivering peer respite services, (ii) training requirements for peer support specialists, including specialized training requirements depending on the population that such specialists serve, and (iii) the establishment of a program fidelity tool to measure the extent to which the delivery of peer respite services in the state adheres to the provisions of this section and best practices for the delivery of peer respite services.Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-NEW
Added by P.A. 24-0019,S. 36 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2024 Regular Session, eff. 10/1/2024.