Duties of Commissioner

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The commissioner shall:

  1. Based on best practice and research, assess the needs of service recipients and potential service recipients throughout the state, plan for a system to meet the needs, set standards for services and supports for service recipients, promote the development of services and supports for service recipients in a community-based, family-oriented system, perform the department's duties, and achieve the department's goals;
  2. Collaborate with all relevant state agencies to coordinate the administration of state programs and policies that directly affect service recipients with respect to treatment, habilitation and education;
  3. Advise the governor, general assembly, state, local, and private agencies, and the public in matters affecting service recipients, and advocate meeting their needs; and
  4. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, assist the council on children's mental health care in developing a plan that will establish demonstration sites in certain geographic areas where children's mental health care is child-centered, family-driven, and culturally and linguistically competent and that provides a coordinated system of care for children's mental health needs in this state.
  1. The costs and benefits of implementing the pilot program;
  2. The number of people the pilot program could expect to serve;
  3. Approaches taken by other states to address prison diversion and prison transition issues where mental health and substance abuse services are involved;
  4. Best practices for this type of pilot program;
  5. Prospects for and barriers to potential expansion of the pilot programstatewide; and
  6. Potential federal funding sources to support the pilot program.


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