General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 5069
January Session, 2021 LCO No. 223
Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
Introduced by:
REP. MICHEL, 146th Dist.
AN ACT CONCERNING THE TREATMENT OF SUICIDAL PATIENTS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
1 That the general statutes be amended to (1) require (A) mental health
2 care providers to offer one-on-one counseling to suicidal patients and
3 patients who have attempted suicide by counselors who are trained in
4 suicide prevention, (B) insurance coverage for such counseling, (C) such
5 providers to obtain a history and an assessment from the patient and his
6 or her caregivers, and (D) when a patient is admitted to the psychiatric
7 unit in an emergency department, suicide prevention counseling to be
8 provided immediately and daily thereafter, and (2) prohibit (A) any
9 mental health care provider from discharging a patient into a homeless
10 situation, and (B) the arrest of a suicidal person who is not a threat to
11 others.
Statement of Purpose:
To ensure that suicidal patients will be treated with the same respect,
compassion and dignity with which a patient with a physical ailment is
treated.
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