HB 21-1085: Secure Transportation for Behavioral Health Crisis

• Establishes a licensing system for secure transportation services for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises, requiring entities to obtain county licenses beginning January 1, 2023.

• Defines secure transportation as urgent transportation services for individuals in behavioral health crisis, including transport to treatment facilities, walk-in crisis centers, and between different levels of care facilities.

• Requires the State Board of Health to adopt rules by July 1, 2022, establishing minimum requirements for secure transportation including staffing, staff training (de-escalation, trauma-informed care), operating procedures, quality improvement, and data collection.

• Creates a Medicaid benefit for secure transportation services by January 1, 2023, and requires the state department to research and plan implementation with coordination with the Office of Behavioral Health.

• Appropriates $46,800 from the general fund and healthcare affordability fees for fiscal year 2021-22 to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, and $46,490 to the Department of Public Health and Environment for implementation.