HB3198 - Suicide Treatment Improvements Act

• Requires psychiatric facilities and outpatient treatment providers to employ suicide prevention counselors who must conduct standardized suicide risk assessments and provide individualized counseling to at-risk patients daily or as needed based on assessment results.

• Mandates each county appoint a suicide prevention response coordinator to deploy qualified suicide prevention counselors to emergency scenes involving potentially suicidal persons; requires law enforcement and suicide counselors to use nonviolent de-escalation methods.

• Requires 9-1-1 call-takers (PSAP telecommunicators) to evaluate calls to determine if they involve a potentially suicidal person and notify coordinators; establishes training curriculum for new and existing PSAP staff to be completed within 2 years.

• Requires all county and municipal law enforcement officers to complete at least 2 hours of annual in-service training on responding to suicidal emergencies, including de-escalation techniques and nonviolent interaction methods.

• Mandates insurance coverage for suicide prevention services under all group and individual health insurance policies and managed care plans issued or renewed after July 1, 2021; establishes penalties of $500-$2,500 for individual staff violations and $2,500-$5,000 for facility noncompliance.