N.Y. MHY Law § 7.07 — New York Code / Act MHY / Title B / Article 7 / Section 7.07
Office of mental health; scope of responsibilities
Status: in_force

§ 7.07 Office of mental health; scope of responsibilities.\n  (a) The office of mental health is charged with the responsibility for\nassuring the development of comprehensive plans, programs, and services\nin the areas of research, prevention, and care, treatment,\nrehabilitation, education, and training of the mentally ill. Such plans,\nprograms, and services shall be developed by the cooperation of the\noffice, the other offices of the department where appropriate, local\ngovernments, consumers and community organizations and agencies. The\noffice shall provide appropriate facilities and encourage the provision\nof facilities by local government and community organizations and\nagencies.\n  (b) The office of mental health shall advise and assist the governor\nin developing policies designed to meet the needs of the mentally ill\nand to encourage their full participation in society.\n  (c) The office of mental health shall have the responsibility for\nseeing that mentally ill persons are provided with care and treatment,\nthat such care, treatment and rehabilitation is of high quality and\neffectiveness, and that the personal and civil rights of persons\nreceiving care, treatment and rehabilitation are adequately protected.\n  (d) The office of mental health shall foster programs for the training\nand development of persons capable of providing the foregoing services,\nand for the qualification of persons capable of providing peer services\nas defined in subdivisions three, four, five, six, seven, and eight of\nsection 7.03 of this article and in accordance with criteria established\nby the commissioner.\n  (e) Consistent with the requirements of subdivision (b) of section\n5.05 of this chapter, the office shall carry out the provisions of\narticle thirty-one as such article pertains to regulation and quality\ncontrol of services for the mentally ill.\n  (f) The office shall establish, and provide technical and financial\nsupport to establish two programs promoting culturally and\nlinguistically competent mental health services. Such programs shall be\noperated in a collaborative manner with the Nathan S. Kline Institute\nfor Psychiatric Research, the New York State Psychiatric Institute,\nacademia, mental health care providers, communities interested in the\nmentally ill and other interested private and public sector parties. The\nprograms, in consultation with the office's multicultural advisory\ncommittee, shall investigate and report, to the commissioner on a\nbiannual basis recommendations as to best practices for the delivery of\nculturally and linguistically competent mental health services to\nunderserved populations affected by disparities due to cultural,\nlinguistic and systemic barriers.\n  (g) The office of mental health shall have the responsibility for\nassuring the development of plans, programs, and services in the areas\nof research and prevention of suicide, to reduce suicidal behavior and\nsuicide through consultation, training, implementation of evidence-based\npractices, and use of suicide surveillance data. Such plans, programs,\nand services shall consider the unique needs of differing demographic\ngroups and the impact of gender, race and ethnicity, and cultural and\nlanguage needs. Such plans, programs, and services shall be developed in\ncooperation with other agencies and departments of the state, local\ngovernments, community organizations and entities, or other\norganizations and individuals. The office shall prepare and submit a\nwritten report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and\ntemporary president of the senate that sets forth the progress of the\noffice in the development of such plans, programs, and services by\nDecember first, two thousand nineteen, and biennially thereafter. In\naddition to delineating the progress the office has made, such report\nshall also include information on specific suicide prevention services\nand program initiatives developed and implemented to address the needs\nof high risk minority groups or special populations, including but not\nlimited to latina and latino adolescents, black youth, individuals\nresiding in rural communities, veterans, members of the lesbian, gay,\nbisexual and transgender community, and any other group deemed high risk\nor underserved by the office.\n  (h) The office shall periodically review suicide prevention programs\nestablished, licensed, certified, or funded by the office to ensure that\nthe needs of individuals at risk of suicide are being met and make\nrecommendations to improve such programs, which shall include but not be\nlimited to: (1) cultural and linguistic competency; and (2) best\npractices for screening and interventions aimed at addressing suicide\nrisk factors for minority groups and other underrepresented populations.\n