§ 26:2MM-6 — Public solicitation, procurement process, contract services, crisis hotline centers.

2. a. No later than six months after the effective date of this act, the Commissioner of Human Services shall conduct a public solicitation and procurement process to contract for the services of one or more crisis hotline centers to provide crisis intervention services and crisis care coordination to individuals accessing the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline. In contracting for the services of crisis hotline centers pursuant to this subsection, the commissioner shall ensure that the selected centers will provide a comprehensive, Statewide network of access 24 hours per day, seven days per week. b. The commissioner shall not contract with a crisis hotline center pursuant to subsection a. of this section unless the center meets the standards of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and participates in, or has the demonstrated ability to obtain an agreement with, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline network. c. A contracted crisis hotline center shall be responsible for receiving 9-8-8 calls and providing crisis intervention services to 9-8-8 callers, including, as appropriate: (1) requesting the dispatch of mobile crisis teams; (2) coordinating crisis care responses and interventions; (3) referring callers to crisis stabilization services; and (4) providing, or facilitating and coordinating, the provision of appropriate follow-up services. d. To the extent possible, and when it would not interfere with responding to an emergency, a contracted crisis hotline center shall attempt to ascertain whether a 9-8-8 caller has children. If the caller has children and the center deems it appropriate, the center shall make a referral to services offered by the Department of Children and Families such as the Children's System of Care or any other referral agency, as appropriate. e. A contracted crisis hotline center shall comply with all standards, operational and equipment requirements, training and qualification requirements for crisis hotline center staff, requirements concerning geolocation capacity, best practices, and other standards and requirements as are established under the "National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020," Pub.L.116-172, as are established under rules and regulations adopted by the Federal Communications Commission, as applicable, and by any other federal authority having jurisdiction, and as are established under rules and regulations promulgated by the Commissioner of Human Services. f. The commissioner shall collaborate with other State executive branch departments, offices, and agencies to ensure full communication, information sharing, and coordination among crisis and emergency response systems throughout the State for the purpose of ensuring real-time crisis care coordination including, but not limited to, the deployment of linked, flexible services specific to each crisis response. Executive branch departments, offices, and agencies shall issue any waivers as shall be necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection. g. (1) The commissioner shall collaborate with appropriate behavioral health care providers in the State, including, but not limited to, mental health and substance use disorder treatment providers, local community mental health centers, community-based and hospital emergency departments, and inpatient psychiatric settings, to ensure the coordination of service linkages with contracted hotline centers and mobile crisis response teams and the provision of crisis stabilization services and follow-up services, as appropriate, following the crisis response for a 9-8-8 caller. (2) The commissioner shall establish agreements and information sharing procedures, as appropriate, with behavioral health care providers as shall be necessary to implement the provisions of this subsection. Such information sharing procedures shall include, but not be limited to, the sharing of information concerning the availability of services provided by a behavioral health care provider. h. The commissioner shall develop an informational campaign to promote awareness of the nature and availability of the 9-8-8 hotline to respond to behavioral health crises. The commissioner shall consult with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Veterans Crisis Line networks to foster consistency in public messaging concerning 9-8-8 services. L.2022, c.35, s.2.