Florida Senate - 2015 SB 344
By Senator Sobel
33-00493A-15 2015344__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the establishment of a mental
3 health first aid training program; requiring the
4 Department of Education to establish a mental health
5 first aid training program; requiring the department
6 to use a competitive procurement process to select a
7 statewide association to develop, implement, and
8 manage the program; providing course requirements;
9 requiring instructors to be certified; requiring the
10 department to submit a report to the Governor and the
11 Legislature by a specified date; providing for
12 expiration of the program; providing an appropriation;
13 requiring the Office of Program Policy Analysis and
14 Government Accountability to submit a report to the
15 Legislature by a specified date; providing an
16 effective date.
17
18 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
19
20 Section 1. Mental health first aid training program.—
21 (1) The Department of Education shall establish a mental
22 health first aid training program to help the public identify
23 and understand the signs of mental illness and substance use
24 disorders and provide the public with skills to help a person
25 who is developing or experiencing a mental health or substance
26 use problem.
27 (2) The department shall use a competitive procurement
28 process to select a statewide association for mental health or
29 substance abuse awareness or treatment to develop, implement,
30 and manage the program.
31 (3) The training program shall include, but is not limited
32 to:
33 (a) An overview of mental illnesses and substance use
34 disorders and the need to reduce the stigma of mental illness.
35 (b) Information on the potential risk factors and warning
36 signs of mental illness or substance use disorders, including,
37 but not limited to, depression, anxiety, psychosis, eating
38 disorders, and self-injury, and common treatments for those
39 conditions.
40 (c) An action plan that encompasses the skills, resources,
41 and knowledge required to assess the situation, select and
42 implement appropriate interventions, and help an individual with
43 appropriate professional, peer, social, or self-help care.
44 (4) The contractor shall administer the program in a way
45 that maximizes the availability of mental health first aid
46 training throughout the state, which may include, but is not
47 limited to, contracting with trained instructors or training
48 additional instructors. However, the contractor shall ensure
49 that all instructors in the training program have current
50 certification by a national authority on mental health first aid
51 programs.
52 (5) The contractor shall prioritize training for staff in
53 educational institutions, including all components of the K-20
54 education system as defined in s. 1000.04, Florida Statutes,
55 private schools as defined in s. 1002.42, Florida Statutes, and
56 colleges and universities as defined in s. 1005.02, Florida
57 Statutes. After training staff in educational institutions, the
58 contractor shall prioritize training for first responders. The
59 contractor may provide training to additional individuals.
60 (6) The department shall submit a report on the
61 implementation and effectiveness of the mental health first aid
62 training program provided pursuant to this act. The report shall
63 describe the implementation of this program and include, but not
64 be limited to, the number of individuals trained by geographic
65 area, their employment or affiliation, the impact of the
66 training, and recommendations regarding continued implementation
67 of the program. The report shall be submitted to the Governor,
68 the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
69 Representatives by February 1, 2018.
70 (7) This section expires June 30, 2018.
71 Section 2. For fiscal year 2015-2016, the sum of $300,000
72 in nonrecurring funds is appropriated from the Federal Grants
73 Trust Fund to the Department of Education to implement the
74 provisions of this act.
75 Section 3. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and
76 Government Accountability shall conduct a study on mental health
77 training programs in the state that help the public identify and
78 understand the signs of mental illness and substance use
79 disorders and provide the public with skills to help a person
80 who is developing or experiencing a mental health or substance
81 use problem. The study shall identify major providers of such
82 mental health training programs, the cost of such programs to
83 recipients, and the availability of such programs to the general
84 public and specified groups, including employees of educational
85 institutions, which comprise all components of the K-20
86 education system as defined in s. 1000.04, Florida Statutes,
87 private schools as defined in s. 1002.42, Florida Statutes, and
88 colleges and universities as defined in s. 1005.02, Florida
89 Statutes; first responders; and other personnel who are likely
90 to have contact with individuals with mental health and
91 substance use disorders who are in need of assistance. The
92 Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
93 shall survey organizations, including, but not limited to,
94 managing entities and not-for-profit organizations providing
95 mental health training, in conducting its research. All state
96 agencies and contractors receiving state funds shall comply with
97 each request for data and information from the Office of Program
98 Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. The study shall
99 include recommendations for enhancing availability of such
100 mental health training programs in the state. The Office of
101 Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability shall
102 report its findings to the President of the Senate and the
103 Speaker of the House of Representatives by February 1, 2016.
104 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2015.