Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 48 - PUBLIC HEALTH-GENERAL
Part III - Mental Health Services
Chapter 5 - Standards for Community Mental Health
Subchapter A - Centers and Clinics
Section III-511 - Program Requirements
Universal Citation: LA Admin Code III-511
Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A. General
1. Community mental health centers
shall provide for a comprehensive range of mental health services offered in a
manner so that they are accessible to persons in need, and so that any person
eligible for one element of services is eligible for all other elements of
service, and that continuity of care is assured. Outpatient services and
consultation and education services shall be offered directly by the center.
Other services may be made available through appropriate written affiliation
agreements provided that the affiliate meets all requirements of these
standards and complies with all pertinent local, state and federal laws and
regulations.
2. Community mental
health clinics may provide a more limited range of mental health services
including at least outpatient treatment. However, if services mandatory for a
center are not provided directly by the clinic, they shall be made available to
residents of the area served by the clinic through the parent center. An
appropriate current written plan shall be developed to assure the availability
of such services through the parent center to residents of the area served by
the clinic.
B. Elements of Service. Community mental health centers shall provide the following essential elements of service:
1. Inpatient
Services
a. The inpatient facility shall be
licensed under appropriate laws and regulations of the state of
Louisiana.
2. Outpatient
Services
a. A variety of outpatient services
including both group and individual treatment shall be made available, based on
an assessment of client demand and community need. In every case, outpatient
services offered shall be planned based upon the individual needs of the
patient derived from the assessment and documented in the treatment
plan.
b. Outpatient services shall
be promptly available during normal working hours. Clinics should additionally
provide such services during evening hours for persons who are not able to
utilize these services during normal working hours.
3. Partial Hospitalization Services
a. Partial hospitalization programs shall be
utilized for one or more of the following purposes:
i. as an alternative to inpatient
care;
ii. as a transitional program
for rehabilitation of long-term patients;
iii. as a maintenance program for long-term
patients;
iv. as an extension of
outpatient services;
v. as a
diagnostic and observational procedure.
b. Purpose of the partial hospitalization
program shall be clearly stated in writing, and factors related to the program
such as hours of operation, physical plant, staffing pattern, and program shall
be written and based upon the stated purpose.
c. There shall be at least one professionally
qualified clinical staff member on duty in the partial hospitalization program
during all hours that it is in operation.
4. Emergency Services
a. The psychiatric facility shall have a
written plan delineating the ways in which emergency services are provided for
both physical and psychiatric emergencies. The emergency service may be
provided by the facility or through clearly defined arrangements with another
facility. When emergency services are provided by the facility itself, it shall
be well organized, properly directed an integrated with the other
services.
b. When emergency
services are provided by an outside facility, the center shall delineate in its
written plan the nature of emergency services available and the arrangements
for referral or transfer to another facility. The written plan shall be
available to all staff and shall clearly specify:
i. the staff of the center who are available
and authorized to provide necessary emergency psychiatric or physical
evaluations and initial treatment;
ii. the staff of the center who are
authorized to arrange for referral or transfer to another facility when it is
necessary;
iii. arrangements for
exchange of records when important for the care of the patient;
iv. the location of the outside facility and
appropriate personnel to be contacted;
v. the method of communication the between
two facilities;
vi. arrangements to
ensure that a patient requiring both medical and psychiatric care who is
transferred to a non-psychiatric service or facility will receive further
evaluation and/or treatment of his psychiatric problem;
vii. details regarding arrangements for
transportation, when necessary, from the psychiatric facility to the facility
providing emergency services;
viii.
the policy for referral back to the referring facility of those patients
needing continued psychiatric care after emergency treatment.
c. The written plan shall include
policies regarding the notification of the patient's family of emergencies
which arise and the arrangements which have been made for referral or transfer
to another facility.
d. The
patients and families being served by the facility shall be informed of the
plan for emergency services. All patients and families who are receiving
partial day or outpatient services should be informed of whom to contact or
where to go for emergency services when the facility is closed.
5. Consultation and Education
a. In order to enhance the continuity of the
patient's life within the community, the center shall maintain positive
relationships and liaison with general community resources, and shall enlist
the support of these resources to participate in community activities, as
indicated. The facility shall participate in a network of other community
services and shall be responsive to community needs. In serving patients and
their families, the facility shall collaborate with other community resources.
There shall be a well organized plan for the facility's involvement with the
community.
b. The center shall
assume responsibility for making mental health information available to the
public, in conjunction with other health and social agencies. The center shall
work in conjunction with other agencies to provide information about a wide
variety of mental health topics, such as new treatment methods and services
available, factors that help prevent mental illness, better understanding of
social problems contributing to emotional stress, and preventive services that
are available.
c. The center shall
engage in preventive approaches to mental health problems in a manner
appropriate to its functions and its own stated goals. The facility should be
involved in prevention in collaboration with schools, clinics, hospitals,
welfare services and other institutions and agencies in the total community
mental health program. In this regard the facility should cooperate with local
citizens groups and organizations, as well as consumer
representatives.
d. The center
shall offer professional education and consultation to others. This includes
other members of the community, whether medical, educational, legal, law
enforcement, clerical, social or welfare personnel, who are working with
persons who have psychiatric disorders. The aim of this educational
consultation program should be geared toward prevention and toward enhancing
the ability of other personnel to understand and help those suffering from
mental illness. Where such preventive, research, consultation, or education
programs are provided for other agencies or individuals within the community,
there shall be appropriate records, and sufficient time and appropriately
qualified staff shall be available to ensure quality and effective
services.
e. The center shall have
an ongoing role relating to the total community in providing consultation and
planning for the total life experiences of persons in its care, and shall
coordinate its planning with that of other agencies with whom these persons and
their families are involved.
6. Community mental health centers should
additionally provide the following specialized services:
a. a program of specialized services for the
mental health of children, including a full range of diagnostic, treatment,
liaison, and follow-up services;
b.
a program of specialized services for the mental health of the elderly,
including a full range of diagnostic, treatment, liaison, and follow-up
services;
c. a program of
assistance to courts, coroners, and other agencies for screening residents of
the catchment area who are being considered for referral for inpatient
psychiatric treatment, to determine if inpatient treatment is indicated, and to
provide for alternate treatment through the center when appropriate;
d. a program of follow-up care for residents
of the catchment area who have been discharged from mental health
facilities;
e. a program of
transitional care including halfway houses, foster care, and other forms of
community based residential care for mentally ill individuals who are residents
of the catchment area and who have been discharged from a mental health
facility or would, without such services, require inpatient care;
f. unless it is determined that there is not
sufficient need, or that need is being met otherwise, the center should provide
programs for:
i. the prevention and treatment
of alcoholism and alcohol abuse and for the rehabilitation and treatment of
alcohol abusers and alcoholics;
ii.
the prevention and treatment of drug addiction and abuse and for the
rehabilitation of drug addicts, drug abusers, and other persons with drug
dependency problems.
AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with PL 94 :63, the Community Mental Health Centers' Act of 1975 and R.S.1950, Title 28, §203.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Louisiana may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
