Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch

Filed: 3/26/2019

 

 


 

 


 
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1
AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 2152

2    AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 2152 by replacing
3everything after the enacting clause with the following:
 
4    "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act.
 
6    Section 5. Intent. This Act is intended to address gaps in
7mental health services on college campuses across Illinois,
8including both 2-year and 4-year institutions, through
9training, peer support, and community-campus partnerships.
 
10    Section 10. Findings. The General Assembly finds all of the
11following:
12        (1) Mental health is a pressing and growing issue on
13    college campuses across this State and the country. A
14    recent national survey found that one in 4 college students
15    are treated for or diagnosed with a mental health condition

 

 

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1    and one in 5 has considered suicide.
2        (2) About 75% of all mental health conditions start by
3    age 24, with higher rates of diagnosed disorders in
4    college-aged students. College counseling center directors
5    believe mental health conditions among students on their
6    campuses are increasing, signaling a growing issue that
7    must be addressed.
8        (3) Students who come from low-income households are
9    more likely to have a mental health condition.
10        (4) Between 2007 and 2017, the diagnosis rate of
11    college students increased from 22% to 36%, indicating a
12    higher need for services. Treatment rates over the same
13    period increased by 15%.
14        (5) Young adults are less likely to receive mental
15    health support than any other age group. College campuses
16    can play a big role in addressing this challenge. Over 70%
17    of Illinois high school graduates enroll in a postsecondary
18    program shortly after graduation.
19        (6) College-aged students are more accepting of mental
20    health services than the general population, but most
21    struggle accessing them. An overwhelming 96% of college
22    students reported they would provide support to peers whom
23    they knew were thinking about suicide.
24        (7) Many students lack knowledge of mental health signs
25    and symptoms and do not know how to help or where to refer
26    their friends for services.

 

 

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1        (8) Services offered by most college campuses are
2    limited in scope and capacity, with 67% of campus
3    counseling center directors saying that their campus
4    psychiatric service capacity is inadequate or does not meet
5    student demand.
6        (9) Combined with a dearth of available services, the
7    vast majority of students do not seek out services, and
8    many students who complete a suicide never received
9    on-campus services. Paying for community-based services is
10    an issue for about half of students. Combining insufficient
11    on-campus services with unaffordable community resources
12    leaves students on their own.
 
13    Section 15. Purpose. The purpose of this Act is to
14accomplish all of the following:
15        (1) Further identify students with mental health needs
16    and connect them to services.
17        (2) Increase access to support services on college
18    campuses.
19        (3) Increase access to clinical mental health services
20    on college campuses and in the surrounding communities for
21    college students.
22        (4) Empower students through peer-to-peer support and
23    training on identifying mental health needs and resources.
24        (5) Reduce administrative policies that put an undue
25    burden on students seeking leave for their mental health

 

 

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1    conditions through technical assistance and training.
 
2    Section 20. Definitions. As used in this Act:
3    "Advisor" means a staff member who provides academic,
4professional, and personal support to students.
5    "Campus security" means a law enforcement officer who has
6completed his or her probationary period and is employed as a
7security officer or campus police officer by a public college
8or university.
9    "Linkage agreement" means a formal agreement between a
10public college or university and an off-campus mental health
11provider or agency.
12    "Mental health condition" means a symptom consistent with a
13mental illness, as defined under Section 1-129 of the Mental
14Health and Developmental Disabilities Code, or a diagnosed
15mental illness.
16    "Public college or university" means any public community
17college subject to the Public Community College Act, the
18University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, Chicago
19State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State
20University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois
21University, Northern Illinois University, Western Illinois
22University, and any other public university, college, or
23community college now or hereafter established or authorized by
24the General Assembly.
25    "Recovery model" means the model developed by the federal

 

 

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1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that
2defines the process of recovery and includes the 4 major
3dimensions that support a life in recovery, which are health,
4home, purpose, and community.
5    "Resident assistant" means a student who is responsible for
6supervising and assisting other, typically younger, students
7who live in the same student housing facility.
8    "Telehealth" means the evaluation, diagnosis, or
9interpretation of electronically transmitted patient-specific
10data between a remote location and a licensed health care
11professional that generates interaction or treatment
12recommendations. "Telehealth" includes telemedicine and the
13delivery of health care services provided by an interactive
14telecommunications system, as defined in subsection (a) of
15Section 356z.22 of the Illinois Insurance Code.
 
16    Section 25. Awareness. To raise mental health awareness on
17college campuses, each public college or university must do all
18of the following:
19        (1) Develop and implement an annual student
20    orientation session aimed at raising awareness about
21    mental health conditions.
22        (2) Assess courses and seminars available to students
23    through their regular academic experiences and implement
24    mental health awareness curricula if opportunities for
25    integration exist.

 

 

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1        (3) Create and feature a page on its website or mobile
2    application with information dedicated solely to the
3    mental health resources available to students at the public
4    college or university and in the surrounding community.
5        (4) Distribute messages related to mental health
6    resources that encourage help-seeking behavior through the
7    online learning platform of the public college or
8    university during high stress periods of the academic year,
9    including, but not limited to, midterm or final
10    examinations. These stigma-reducing strategies must be
11    based on documented best practices.
12        (5) Three years after the effective date of this Act,
13    implement an online screening tool to raise awareness and
14    establish a mechanism to link or refer students of the
15    public college or university to services. Screenings and
16    resources must be available year round for students and, at
17    a minimum, must (i) include validated screening tools for
18    depression, an anxiety disorder, an eating disorder,
19    substance use, alcohol-use disorder, post-traumatic stress
20    disorder, and bipolar disorder, (ii) provide resources for
21    immediate connection to services, if indicated, including
22    emergency resources, (iii) provide general information
23    about all mental health-related resources available to
24    students of the public college or university, and (iv)
25    function anonymously.
26        (6) At least once per term and at times of high

 

 

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1    academic stress, including midterm or final examinations,
2    provide students information regarding online screenings
3    and resources.
 
4    Section 30. Training.
5    (a) The board of trustees of each public college or
6university must designate an expert panel to develop and
7implement policies and procedures that (i) advise students,
8faculty, and staff on the proper procedures for identifying and
9addressing the needs of students exhibiting symptoms of mental
10health conditions, (ii) promote understanding of the rules of
11Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
12federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to increase
13knowledge and understanding of student protections under the
14law, and (iii) provide training if appropriate.
15    (b) The Technical Assistance Center under Section 45 shall
16set initial standards for policies and procedures referenced in
17subsection (a) to ensure statewide consistency.
18    (c) All resident assistants in a student housing facility,
19advisors, and campus security of a public college or university
20must participate in a national Mental Health First Aid training
21course or a similar program prior to the commencement of their
22duties. Training must include the policies and procedures
23developed by the public college or university referenced under
24subsection (a).
 

 

 

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1    Section 35. Peer support.
2    (a) Because peer support programs may be beneficial in
3improving the emotional well-being of the student population,
4each public college or university must develop and implement a
5peer support program utilizing student peers to support
6individuals living with mental health conditions on campus.
7Peer support programs may be housed within resident assistant
8programs, counseling centers, or wellness centers on campus.
9    (b) Peer support programs must utilize best practices for
10peer support, including, but not limited to: (i) utilizing the
11tenets of the recovery model for mental health, (ii) adequate
12planning and preparation, including standardizing guidance and
13practices, identifying needs of the target population, and
14aligning program goals to meet those needs, (iii) clearly
15articulating policies, especially around role boundaries and
16confidentiality, (iv) systematic screening with defined
17selection criteria for peer supporters, such as communication
18skills, leadership ability, character, previous experience or
19training, and ability to serve as a positive role model, (v)
20identifying benefits from peer status, such as experiential
21learning, social support, leadership, and improved
22self-confidence, (vi) continuing education for peer supporters
23to support each other and improve peer support skills, and
24(vii) flexibility in availability by offering services through
25drop-in immediate support and the ability to book appointments.
 

 

 

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1    Section 40. Local partnerships.
2    (a) Each public college or university must form strategic
3partnerships with local mental health service providers to
4improve overall campus mental wellness and augment on-campus
5capacity. The strategic partnerships must include linkage
6agreements with off-campus mental health service providers
7that establish a foundation for referrals for students when
8needs cannot be met on campus due to capacity or preference of
9the student. The strategic partnerships must also include (i)
10avenues for on-campus and off-campus mental health service
11providers to increase visibility to students via marketing and
12outreach, (ii) opportunities to engage the student body through
13student outreach initiatives like mindfulness workshops or
14campus-wide wellness fairs, and (iii) opportunities to support
15awareness and training requirements under this Act.
16    (b) Through a combination of on-campus capacity,
17off-campus linkage agreements with mental health service
18providers, and contracted telehealth therapy services, each
19public college or university shall attempt to meet a benchmark
20ratio of one clinical, non-student staff member to 1,250
21students. If linkage agreements are used, the agreements must
22include the capacity of students providers are expected to
23serve within the agency. Two years after the effective date of
24this Act, and once every 5 years thereafter, the Technical
25Assistance Center developed under Section 45 must propose to
26the General Assembly an updated ratio based on actual ratios in

 

 

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1this State and any new information related to appropriate
2benchmarks for clinician-to-student ratios. The updated
3benchmark must represent a ratio of no less than one clinical,
4non-student staff member to 1,250 students.
5    (c) Each public college or university must work with local
6resources, such as on-campus mental health counseling centers
7or wellness centers, local mental health service providers, or
8non-providers, such as affiliates of the National Alliance on
9Mental Illness, and any other resources to meet the awareness
10and training requirements under Sections 25 and 30 of this Act.
 
11    Section 45. Technical Assistance Center. The Board of
12Higher Education must develop a Technical Assistance Center
13that is responsible for all of the following:
14        (1) Developing standardized policies for medical leave
15    related to mental health conditions for students of a
16    public college or university, which may be adopted by the
17    public college or university.
18        (2) Providing tailored support to public colleges or
19    universities in reviewing policies related to students
20    living with mental health conditions and their academic
21    standing.
22        (3) Establishing initial standards for policies and
23    procedures under subsection (a) of Section 30.
24        (4) Disseminating best practices around peer support
25    programs, including widely accepted selection criteria for

 

 

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1    individuals serving in a peer support role.
2        (5) Developing statewide standards and best practices
3    for partnerships between local mental health agencies and
4    college campuses across this State.
5        (6) Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data
6    related to mental health needs and academic engagement
7    across this State.
8        (7) Housing data collected by each public college or
9    university related to Section 50 and analyzing and
10    disseminating best practices to each public college or
11    university and the public based on that data.
12        (8) Monitoring and evaluating linkage agreements under
13    Section 40 to ensure capacity is met by each public college
14    or university.
15        (9) Facilitating a learning community across all
16    public colleges or universities to support capacity
17    building and learning across those institutions.
 
18    Section 50. Evaluation. Each public college or university
19must evaluate the following programs under this Act in the
20following manner:
21        (1) Awareness and training programs under Sections 25
22    and 30 must be monitored for effectiveness and quality by
23    the public college or university. Monitoring measures
24    shall include, but are not limited to: (i) increased
25    understanding of mental health conditions, (ii) reduced

 

 

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1    stigma toward mental health conditions, (iii) increased
2    understanding of mental health resources available to
3    students, (iv) increased understanding of resources for
4    mental health emergencies available to students, and (v)
5    viewing each mental health resource website or mobile
6    application of the public college or university.
7        (2) Peer support programs under Section 35 must be
8    monitored for effectiveness and quality by the public
9    college or university. Monitoring measures shall include,
10    but are not limited to: (i) improved symptomatology, (ii)
11    if needed, connection to additional services, (iii)
12    student satisfaction, (iv) wait time for drop-in
13    appointments, (v) wait time for scheduled appointments,
14    and (vi) satisfaction with the training curriculum for peer
15    supporters.
16        (3) Local partnership programs under Section 40 must be
17    monitored for effectiveness and quality by the public
18    college or university. Monitoring measures shall include,
19    but are not limited to: (i) wait time for drop-in
20    appointments for on-campus or off-campus telehealth
21    therapy providers, (ii) wait time for scheduled
22    appointments for on-campus or off-campus telehealth
23    therapy providers, (iii) the ratio of clinical,
24    non-student staff to student population and the number of
25    linkage agreements and contracts in place based on student
26    population, (iv) student satisfaction with on-campus or

 

 

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1    off-campus telehealth therapy providers, (v) range of
2    treatment models offered to students, (vi) average length
3    of stay in treatment, (vii) number and range of student
4    outreach initiatives, such as telehealth mindfulness
5    workshops or campus-wide wellness fairs, and (viii) number
6    of students being served annually.
 
7    Section 55. Funding. This Act is subject to appropriation.
8The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability,
9in conjunction with the Illinois Community College Board and
10the Board of Higher Education, must make recommendations to the
11General Assembly on the amounts necessary to implement this
12Act. The initial recommendation must be provided by the
13Commission no later than December 31, 2019. Any appropriation
14provided in advance of this initial recommendation may be used
15for planning purposes. No Section of this Act may be funded by
16student fees created on or after July 1, 2020. Public colleges
17or universities may seek federal funding or private grants, if
18available, to support the provisions of this Act.
 
19    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1,
202020, except that Section 55 and this Section take effect upon
21becoming law.".