Mental Health Services

Expands mental health services under the CARE Act to include individuals diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. Requires county behavioral health agencies to provide treatment and support services to eligible individuals. Mandates state reimbursement to local agencies for additional program costs.

Authorizes involuntary antipsychotic medication for jail inmates found mentally incompetent in misdemeanor cases. Requires court approval and clear evidence of medical necessity for involuntary medication beyond 72 hours. Mandates court reviews every 60 days to continue involuntary medication orders. Expires January 1, 2030 unless extended by future legislation.

Authorizes counties to create behavioral health teams to support mentally ill individuals in county jails. Enables secure information sharing between healthcare, social services, and law enforcement agencies. Requires counties to develop and publish detailed protocols for protecting confidential information. Mandates team members to follow strict privacy rules with penalties for unauthorized disclosures.

Establishes a new pretrial diversion program allowing courts to divert eligible felony cases into treatment programs. Requires treatment agencies to report defendant progress every three months to ensure compliance. Excludes serious violent crimes, domestic violence, and firearm offenses from diversion eligibility. Mandates dismissal of charges upon successful completion of the 24-month maximum diversion period.

Makes technical changes to provisions governing assisted outpatient mental health treatment programs.

Requires hospital employees with patient contact to wear identification tags displaying their role and name. Mandates 18-point type on ID badges showing employee credentials and name in various permitted formats. Allows hospitals flexibility in displaying employee names to protect staff privacy and safety. Applies to all general acute care and psychiatric hospitals except state-operated facilities.

Expands placement options for conservatees to include more types of secured residential and nursing facilities. Requires court approval for facility transfers when specific regulations are not yet established. Mandates state agencies to update safety regulations for secured facilities by January 2027. Strengthens protections for conservatees through enhanced court oversight and annual investigations.

Expands mental health diversion programs by requiring defendants to agree their treatment plan meets their specific needs. Grants courts new authority to deny diversion if defendants pose physical safety risks to others. Limits diversion periods to two years for felonies and one year for misdemeanors. Excludes serious crimes like murder and rape from mental health diversion eligibility.

Prohibits supervision authorities from banning contact between supervised individuals and their family members. Allows authorities to restrict family contact only if the family member was a victim of the supervised person's crime. Requires written justification when prohibiting contact between a supervised person and their victim family member. Preserves courts' authority to issue protective orders and establish supervision conditions.

Expands mental health conservatorship criteria to include patients unable to accept voluntary treatment. Requires detailed treatment plans within 10 days of establishing conservatorships. Strengthens privacy protections for mental health records and court proceedings. Authorizes courts to order mental health evaluations without county approval in specific cases.

Expands restrictions on mental health diversion programs by excluding defendants charged with child abuse and trafficking. Prohibits diversion for crimes causing great bodily injury, including spousal abuse with serious injuries. Maintains existing mental health diversion options for eligible defendants with diagnosed mental disorders. Requires regular progress reports from treatment providers to courts during the diversion period.

Authorizes emergency physicians to initiate involuntary mental health holds in California hospitals. Provides legal immunity to emergency physicians when detaining patients for mental health evaluation. Requires counties to include emergency physicians in their mental health detention training programs. Maintains existing training and approval requirements for all professionals who can initiate mental health holds.

Establishes automatic eligibility for mental health services for high-risk individuals experiencing homelessness or leaving jail. Requires counties to provide comprehensive behavioral health services including housing and substance use treatment. Prohibits denying mental health services to patients solely due to substance use disorders. Mandates licensed clinician approval and documentation for all program enrollments.

Authorizes counties to develop specialized crisis response procedures for mental health mobile crisis teams. Enables mobile crisis teams to better handle emergencies involving people with developmental disabilities or autism. Expands the scope of county behavioral health services without requiring additional funding.

Expands the use of state hospital patient Benefit Funds to include welfare services, in addition to existing education and entertainment purposes. Requires hospital administrators to provide written notifications to patients and patient groups about new ways Benefit Funds can be used. Mandates annual reporting to the Legislature by August 15th detailing how each state hospital spent their Benefit Funds in the previous fiscal year. Maintains existing patient protections requiring consent and input from patient government before spending Benefit Fund money.

Expands the Second Chance Program to include drug courts and mental health services for formerly incarcerated individuals. Requires public agencies to lead grant proposals in partnership with community organizations. Prioritizes funding for programs that combine housing assistance with mental health and substance treatment. Establishes a diverse steering committee to oversee grant distribution and program effectiveness.

Expands the CARE Court program to include individuals with mood disorders and psychotic features. Authorizes courts to conduct initial hearings simultaneously with eligibility determinations to reduce delays. Requires comprehensive data collection and reporting to monitor program effectiveness and equity. Allows medical records sharing between behavioral health agencies and courts to improve care coordination.

Expands mental health diversion programs by requiring courts to consider recent mental health diagnoses. Allows courts to deny diversion if defendants pose a likely risk to public safety. Requires judges to state reasons for denying mental health diversion on the record. Prohibits diversion for serious crimes like murder, rape and sexual assault.