Mental health multidisciplinary personnel team.

Assembly Member Quirk-Silva's mental health services legislation authorizes California counties to establish multidisciplinary teams focused on connecting justice-involved individuals with mental illness to supportive services during and after incarceration. The teams would coordinate care across mental health, medical, social services, and law enforcement agencies to ensure continuity of treatment for individuals in county jails.

The bill outlines specific requirements for these county-level teams, which must include at least two professionals trained in mental health treatment. Eligible team members encompass mental health practitioners, medical personnel, social workers, case managers, and representatives from substance abuse services, probation, law enforcement, veterans services, homeless services, and tribal programs. These teams would have authority to share confidential information necessary for coordinating care, subject to strict privacy protocols developed by each county.

Counties implementing these teams must establish comprehensive information-sharing procedures that comply with federal and state privacy laws, including HIPAA and the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act. The protocols must specify what information can be shared, detail security measures, and require all team members to sign confidentiality agreements. Counties must post these protocols online within 30 days of adoption and provide copies to the State Department of Health Care Services. Team members receiving confidential information face the same privacy obligations and penalties as the original information providers.

The legislation builds upon existing law that permits counties to create similar teams for homeless adults and families. This new authority specifically targets the intersection of mental health treatment and justice system involvement, aiming to maintain treatment continuity as individuals transition between incarceration and community settings.