HI HB1661

Establishes a new definition of "behavioral health crisis center" as a facility specifically designed and staffed to provide care, diagnosis, or treatment for persons experiencing mental illness or substance use disorder crisis.

Requires patients delivered for emergency examination to psychiatric facilities or behavioral health crisis centers to receive examinations including screening for involuntary hospitalization criteria, performed by licensed physicians, medical residents under physician supervision, or advanced practice registered nurses.

Mandates that psychiatrists or qualified advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority and psychiatric specialization certification conduct further examinations to diagnose mental illness or substance use disorders and assess dangerousness and hospitalization needs.

Requires expedient discharge of patients if involuntary hospitalization criteria are not met or no longer persist after examination, and limits emergency hospitalization period to 48 hours unless patient voluntarily agrees to further hospitalization or court-ordered proceedings are initiated.

Effective date: July 1, 2020.