Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a)
Procedural responsibilities: The County Mental Health Board shall:
1. Elect annually a chairperson;
2. Meet at least eight times each
year;
3. Comply with the Senator
Byron M. Baer Open Public Meetings Act;
4. Establish, and at least annually review,
formal procedures concerning the composition of the Board and setting forth
rules of order by which the Board shall operate;
5. Submit public notices and minutes of said
meeting to the Division .
(b) Planning responsibilities: As set forth
in the Division's Planning Guidelines:
1.
Initiate and implement a planning process, encouraging participation from, at a
minimum, other mental health planning authorities (for example, Health Systems
Agency representatives) funded providers of services, clients, and interested
citizens.
2. Develop a plan of
mental health services for the county. At a minimum, that plan shall identify:
i. The county mental health authority(ies)
and their respective roles and functions;
ii. The manner in which the plan was
completed;
iii. A needs assessment
section which reviews:
(1) The State and
county identified target groups, and the reason they have been so
identified;
(2) Services that are
perceived by the community as being critical to meet the needs of identified
State/county target groups;
(3) The
availability or unavailability of those services identified in (b)2iii(2)
above.
iv. A set of
goals and objectives which will provide a framework for addressing the needs of
State and locally identified target groups;
v. An action plan which designates the means
and steps by which goals and objectives will be achieved.
3. Submit completed County Mental Health Plan
to the Division within specified deadlines, for review and approval. If a
county has a Charter form of government, the County Mental Health Board must
submit the County Mental Health Plan to the County Executive or his/her
designate, for review and approval, prior to submission to the
Division.
4. In the event that:
i. A county mental health plan is approved by
the Division, the county plan shall provide the framework for mental health
funding and program development in that particular county.
ii. An approved plan is not submitted by the
county, the framework for mental health activity in that particular county
shall be provided by the goals and objectives of the Division, contained within
its Annual State Plan.
5. The initiation of the planning process,
and subsequent completion of the plan, shall be conducted within the general
policies and principles of the Division.
6. The county mental health authority(ies)
should take an active planning role in coordinating the services of other
county offices and departments relating to mental health services.
(c) Implementation
responsibilities: Based on the County Mental Health Plan, the County Mental
Health Board shall, at a minimum:
1. Receive,
review, comment and, where necessary, solicit the following:
i. Initial and continuation funding
applications for:
(1) State
hospitals;
(2) County
hospitals;
(3) Community Mental
Health Projects regardless of revenue source.
ii. Certificate of Need applications for
Mental Health Agencies;
iii.
Affiliation agreements.
2. Receive, review, and advise the Division
on requested Service Area changes/redelineations.
3. Facilitate consumer advocacy and self-help
groups.
4. Respond to client
grievances as identified in
10:37-4.3.
5. Review and recommend funding allocations
to agencies within the county, consistent with the approved County Mental
Health Board Plan.
(d)
Monitoring responsibilities: The County Mental Health Board shall monitor the
service delivery and administration of all programs under the board's
jurisdiction and make recommendations to the appropriate agency or
department.
(e) Community education
responsibilities: The County Mental Health Board shall encourage the
development of and participate in community education programs.
(f) Assistance of Appointing Authority: The
Appointing Authority should provide the Mental Health Board with suitable
quarters and such assistance as may be required to carry out the functions
identified above.
