Subdivision 1. Availability of emergency services. (a) County boards must provide or contract for enough emergency services within the county to meet the needs of adults, children, and families in the county who are experiencing an emotional crisis or mental illness. Emergency service providers must not delay the timely provision of emergency services to a client because of the unwillingness or inability of the client to pay for services. Emergency services must include assessment, crisis intervention, and appropriate case disposition. Emergency services must:
(1) promote the safety and emotional stability of each client;
(2) minimize further deterioration of each client;
(3) help each client to obtain ongoing care and treatment;
(4) prevent placement in settings that are more intensive, costly, or restrictive than necessary and appropriate to meet client needs; and
(5) provide support, psychoeducation, and referrals to each client's family members, service providers, and other third parties on behalf of the client in need of emergency services.
(b) If a county provides engagement services under section 253B.041, the county's emergency service providers must refer clients to engagement services when the client meets the criteria for engagement services.
Subd. 2. Specific requirements. (a) The county board shall require that all service providers of emergency services to adults with mental illness provide immediate direct access to a mental health professional during regular business hours. For evenings, weekends, and holidays, the service may be by direct toll-free telephone access to a mental health professional, clinical trainee, or mental health practitioner.
(b) The commissioner may waive the requirement in paragraph (a) that the evening, weekend, and holiday service be provided by a mental health professional, clinical trainee, or mental health practitioner if the county documents that:
(1) mental health professionals, clinical trainees, or mental health practitioners are unavailable to provide this service;
(2) services are provided by a designated person with training in human services who receives treatment supervision from a mental health professional; and
(3) the service provider is not also the provider of fire and public safety emergency services.
(c) The commissioner may waive the requirement in paragraph (b), clause (3), that the evening, weekend, and holiday service not be provided by the provider of fire and public safety emergency services if:
(1) every person who will be providing the first telephone contact has received at least eight hours of training on emergency mental health services approved by the commissioner;
(2) every person who will be providing the first telephone contact will annually receive at least four hours of continued training on emergency mental health services approved by the commissioner;
(3) the local social service agency has provided public education about available emergency mental health services and can assure potential users of emergency services that their calls will be handled appropriately;
(4) the local social service agency agrees to provide the commissioner with accurate data on the number of emergency mental health service calls received;
(5) the local social service agency agrees to monitor the frequency and quality of emergency services; and
(6) the local social service agency describes how it will comply with paragraph (d).
(d) Whenever emergency service during nonbusiness hours is provided by anyone other than a mental health professional, a mental health professional must be available on call for an emergency assessment and crisis intervention services, and must be available for at least telephone consultation within 30 minutes.
Subd. 3. Mental health crisis services. The commissioner of human services shall increase access to mental health crisis services for children and adults. In order to increase access, the commissioner must:
(1) develop a central phone number where calls can be routed to the appropriate crisis services;
(2) provide telephone consultation 24 hours a day to mobile crisis teams who are serving people with traumatic brain injury or intellectual disabilities who are experiencing a mental health crisis;
(3) expand crisis services across the state, including rural areas of the state and examining access per population;
(4) establish and implement state standards for crisis services; and
(5) provide grants to adult mental health initiatives, counties, tribes, or community mental health providers to establish new mental health crisis residential service capacity.
Priority will be given to regions that do not have a mental health crisis residential services program, do not have an inpatient psychiatric unit within the region, do not have an inpatient psychiatric unit within 90 miles, or have a demonstrated need based on the number of crisis residential or intensive residential treatment beds available to meet the needs of the residents in the region. At least 50 percent of the funds must be distributed to programs in rural Minnesota. Grant funds may be used for start-up costs, including but not limited to renovations, furnishings, and staff training. Grant applications shall provide details on how the intended service will address identified needs and shall demonstrate collaboration with crisis teams, other mental health providers, hospitals, and police.
1987 c 403 art 2 s 24; 1988 c 689 art 2 s 81; 1989 c 282 art 4 s 15; 1990 c 568 art 5 s 3; 1991 c 312 s 1; 2015 c 71 art 2 s 42; 2021 c 30 art 16 s 1,2
Structure Minnesota Statutes
Chapters 245 - 267 — Public Welfare And Related Activities
Chapter 245 — Department Of Human Services
Section 245.03 — Department Of Human Services Established; Commissioner.
Section 245.0313 — Aid To Persons With Disabilities.
Section 245.035 — Interview Expenses.
Section 245.036 — Leases For State-operated, Community-based Programs.
Section 245.037 — Money Collected As Rent; State Property.
Section 245.041 — Provision Of Firearms And Explosives Background Check Information.
Section 245.073 — Technical Training; Community-based Programs.
Section 245.09 — [Unnecessary]
Section 245.095 — Limits On Receiving Public Funds.
Section 245.096 — Changes To Grant Programs.
Section 245.10 — [Unnecessary]
Section 245.11 — [Unnecessary]
Section 245.12 — [Unnecessary]
Section 245.461 — Policy And Citation.
Section 245.462 — Definitions.
Section 245.463 — Planning For A Mental Health System.
Section 245.464 — Coordination Of Mental Health System.
Section 245.465 — Duties Of County Board.
Section 245.466 — Local Service Delivery System.
Section 245.4661 — Adult Mental Health Initiative Services.
Section 245.4662 — Mental Health Innovation Grant Program.
Section 245.4663 — Mental Health Provider Supervision Grant Program.
Section 245.467 — Quality Of Services.
Section 245.468 — Education And Prevention Services.
Section 245.4682 — Mental Health Service Delivery And Finance Reform.
Section 245.469 — Emergency Services.
Section 245.470 — Outpatient Services.
Section 245.4705 — Employment Support Services And Programs.
Section 245.4711 — Case Management Services.
Section 245.4712 — Community Support And Day Treatment Services.
Section 245.472 — Residential Treatment Services.
Section 245.473 — Acute Care Hospital Inpatient Services.
Section 245.474 — Regional Treatment Center Inpatient Services.
Section 245.476 — Screening For Inpatient And Residential Treatment.
Section 245.479 — County Of Financial Responsibility.
Section 245.481 — Fees For Mental Health Services.
Section 245.482 — Reporting And Evaluation.
Section 245.483 — Termination Or Return Of An Allocation.
Section 245.4835 — County Maintenance Of Effort.
Section 245.485 — Where A Claim Must Be Brought.
Section 245.486 — Limited Appropriations.
Section 245.4862 — Mental Health Urgent Care And Psychiatric Consultation.
Section 245.4863 — Integrated Co-occurring Disorder Treatment.
Section 245.487 — Citation; Declaration Of Policy; Mission.
Section 245.4871 — Definitions.
Section 245.4873 — Coordination Of Children's Mental Health System.
Section 245.4874 — Duties Of County Board.
Section 245.4875 — Local Service Delivery System.
Section 245.4876 — Quality Of Services.
Section 245.4877 — Education And Prevention Services.
Section 245.4878 — Mental Health Identification And Intervention.
Section 245.4879 — Emergency Services.
Section 245.488 — Outpatient Services.
Section 245.4881 — Case Management And Family Community Support Services.
Section 245.4882 — Residential Treatment Services.
Section 245.4883 — Acute Care Hospital Inpatient Services.
Section 245.4884 — Family Community Support Services.
Section 245.4885 — Screening For Inpatient And Residential Treatment.
Section 245.4889 — Children's Mental Health Grants.
Section 245.4901 — School-linked Behavioral Health Grants.
Section 245.4902 — Culturally Informed And Culturally Responsive Mental Health Task Force.
Section 245.4905 — First Episode Of Psychosis Grant Program.
Section 245.491 — Citation; Declaration Of Purpose.
Section 245.492 — Definitions.
Section 245.493 — Local Children's Mental Health Collaborative.
Section 245.4931 — Integrated Local Service System.
Section 245.4932 — Revenue Enhancement; Authority And Responsibilities.
Section 245.495 — Additional Federal Revenues.
Section 245.50 — Interstate Contracts, Mental Health, Chemical Health, Detoxification Services.
Section 245.51 — Interstate Compact On Mental Health.
Section 245.52 — Commissioner Of Human Services As Compact Administrator.
Section 245.53 — Transmittal Of Copies Of Act.
Section 245.61 — County Boards; Grants For Local Mental Health Programs.
Section 245.62 — Community Mental Health Center.
Section 245.66 — Community Mental Health Center Boards.
Section 245.696 — Additional Duties Of Commissioner.
Section 245.697 — State Advisory Council On Mental Health.
Section 245.70 — Mental Health; Federal Aid.
Section 245.71 — Conditions To Federal Aid For Mentally Ill.
Section 245.713 — Allocation Formula.
Section 245.73 — Services For Adults With Mental Illness; Grants.
Section 245.735 — Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Services.
Section 245.75 — Federal Grants For Minnesota Indians.
Section 245.765 — Reimbursement Of County For Certain Indian Welfare Costs.
Section 245.771 — Supervision Of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Section 245.802 — Facilities For People With Mental Illness; Rules.
Section 245.814 — Liability Insurance For Licensed Providers.
Section 245.821 — Treatment Facilities For Persons With Disabilities.
Section 245.825 — Aversive And Deprivation Procedures; Licensed Facilities And Services.
Section 245.8261 — Restrictive Procedures Planning And Reporting.
Section 245.90 — Court Awarded Funds, Disposition.
Section 245.92 — Office Of Ombudsman; Creation; Qualifications; Function.
Section 245.93 — Organization Of Office Of Ombudsman.
Section 245.94 — Powers Of Ombudsman; Reviews And Evaluations; Recommendations.
Section 245.945 — Reimbursement To Ombudsman For Mental Health And Developmental Disabilities.
Section 245.95 — Recommendations And Reports To Governor.
Section 245.96 — Civil Actions.
Section 245.97 — Ombudsman Committee.
Section 245.975 — Ombudsperson For Family Child Care Providers.
Section 245.98 — Compulsive Gambling Treatment Program.
Section 245.982 — Program Support.
Section 245.99 — Adult Mental Illness Crisis Housing Assistance Program.