2023 New York Laws › MHY - Mental Hygiene › Title E - General Provisions › Article 36 - Addiction and Mental Health Services and Supports › 36.03 - 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention and Behavioral Health Crisis Hotline System.

§ 36.03  9-8-8 suicide  prevention  and behavioral health crisis hotline
system.
(a) Definitions. When used in this article, the  following  words  and
phrases  shall  have  the following meanings unless the specific context
clearly indicates otherwise:
(1) "9-8-8" means the three  digit  phone  number  designated  by  the
federal   communications   commission  for  the  purpose  of  connecting
individuals  experiencing  a  behavioral  health  crisis  with   suicide
prevention and behavioral health crisis counselors, mobile crisis teams,
and  crisis  stabilization  services  and other behavioral health crises
services through the national suicide prevention lifeline.
(2) "9-8-8 crisis hotline center" means a state-identified and  funded
center participating in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network
to respond to statewide or regional 9-8-8 calls.
(3)   "Crisis   stabilization   centers"  means  facilities  providing
short-term  observation  and  crisis  stabilization   services   jointly
licensed  by  the  office  of  mental health and the office of addiction
services and supports under section 36.01 of this article.
(4) "Crisis  residential  services"  means  a  short-term  residential
program  designed to provide residential and support services to persons
with symptoms of mental illness who are at risk  of  or  experiencing  a
psychiatric crisis.
(5)  "Crisis  intervention  services"  means  the continuum to address
crisis  intervention,  crisis  stabilization,  and  crisis   residential
treatment  needs  that  are wellness, resiliency, and recovery oriented.
Crisis  intervention  services  include  but  not  limited  to:   crisis
stabilization  centers,  mobile  crisis  teams,  and  crisis residential
services.
(6) "Behavioral health professional" shall mean any of the  following,
but shall not be limited to:
(i)  a  licensed  clinical  social  worker, licensed under article one
hundred fifty-four of the education law;
(ii) a licensed  psychologist,  licensed  under  article  one  hundred
fifty-three of the education law;
(iii)  a  registered  professional  nurse,  licensed under article one
hundred thirty-nine of the education law;
(iv) a licensed master  social  worker,  licensed  under  article  one
hundred  fifty-four  of  the  education  law, under the supervision of a
physician, psychologist or licensed clinical social worker;
(v) a licensed mental health counselor,  licensed  under  article  one
hundred sixty-three of the education law; or
(vi)  a  credentialed  alcoholism  and  substance use counselor with a
valid credential issued or approved by the office of addiction  services
and supports.
(7)  "Certified  peer specialist" means an individual who is certified
as a peer in New York state from a certifying  authority  recognized  by
the commissioner of the office of mental health.
(8) "Certified recovery peer advocate" means an individual who holds a
certification  issued  by  an  entity  approved  and  recognized  by the
commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports.
(9) "Credentialed family peer advocate" means  an  individual  who  is
credentialed  as  a  peer  in New York state from a certifying authority
recognized by the commissioner of the office of  mental  health  or  the
commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports.
(10)  "Credentialed  youth  peer  advocate" means an individual who is
credentialed as a peer in New York state  from  a  certifying  authority
recognized  by  the  commissioner  of the office of mental health or the
commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports.
(11) "Mobile crisis  teams"  means  a  team  licensed,  certified,  or
authorized  by  the  office of mental health and the office of addiction
services and  supports  to  provide  community-based  mental  health  or
substance   use   disorder   interventions   for   individuals  who  are
experiencing  a  mental health or substance use disorder crisis. Members
of a mobile crisis team may include, but not be limited  to:  behavioral
health  professionals,  certified  peer  specialists, certified recovery
peer advocates, credentialed family  peer  advocates,  and  credentialed
youth peer advocates.
(12)  "National  suicide  prevention  lifeline"  or  "NSPL"  means the
national  network  of  local  crisis  centers  that  provide  free   and
confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional
distress  twenty-four  hours  a  day,  seven days a week via a toll-free
hotline number, which receives calls made through the 9-8-8 system.  The
toll-free  number  is  maintained  by the Assistant Secretary for Mental
Health and Substance Use under  Section  50-E-3  of  the  Public  Health
Service Act, Section 290bb-36c of Title 42 of the United States Code.
(b)  The  commissioner  of the office of mental health, in conjunction
with the commissioner of the office of addiction services and  supports,
shall   have  joint  oversight  of  the  9-8-8  suicide  prevention  and
behavioral health crisis hotline and shall work in concert with NSPL for
the purposes of ensuring consistency of public messaging.
(c) The commissioner of the office of mental  health,  in  conjunction
with  the commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports,
shall, on or before July sixteenth, two thousand twenty-two, designate a
crisis hotline center or  centers  to  provide  or  arrange  for  crisis
intervention   services  to  individuals  accessing  the  9-8-8  suicide
prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline from anywhere within the
state twenty-four hours a day, seven days  a  week.  Each  9-8-8  crisis
hotline center shall do all of the following:
(1)  A  designated  hotline center shall have an active agreement with
the administrator  of  the  National  Suicide  Prevention  Lifeline  for
participation within the network.
(2)  A designated hotline center shall meet NSPL requirements and best
practices guidelines for operation and clinical standards.
(3) A designated hotline center may utilize technology, including  but
not  limited  to, chat and text that is interoperable between and across
the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline system
and the administrator of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
(4) A designated hotline center shall accept  transfers  of  any  call
from 9-1-1 pertaining to a behavioral health crisis.
(5)  A designated hotline center shall ensure coordination between the
9-8-8 crisis hotline centers, 9-1-1, behavioral health crisis  services,
and,  when appropriate, other specialty behavioral health warm lines and
hotlines and other emergency services. If a law enforcement, medical, or
fire response is also needed, 9-8-8 and 9-1-1 operators shall coordinate
the  simultaneous  deployment  of  those  services  with  mobile  crisis
services.
(6)  A  designated  hotline  center shall have the authority to deploy
crisis intervention services, including but not limited to mobile crisis
teams, and coordinate access to crisis stabilization centers, and  other
crisis   intervention   services,   as  appropriate,  and  according  to
guidelines and best practices established by  New  York  State  and  the
NSPL.
(7)  A designated hotline center shall meet the requirements set forth
by New York State and the NSPL for serving  high  risk  and  specialized
populations  including  but  not  limited  to:  Black, African American,
Hispanic, Latino, Asian,  Pacific  Islander,  Native  American,  Alaskan

Native;  lesbian,  gay,  bisexual,  transgender,  nonbinary,  queer, and
questioning  individuals;  veterans;  members  of   rural   communities;
individuals    with   intellectual   and   developmental   disabilities;
individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability; immigrants
and   refugees;   children   and  youth;  older  adults;  and  religious
communities as identified by the  federal  Substance  Abuse  and  Mental
Health  Services  Administration,  including  training  requirements and
policies for providing linguistically and culturally competent care.
(8) A designated hotline center shall provide  follow-up  services  as
needed  to  individuals  accessing  the  9-8-8  suicide  prevention  and
behavioral health crisis hotline consistent with guidance  and  policies
established by New York State and the NSPL.
(9)  A  designated hotline center shall provide data, and reports, and
participate  in  evaluations  and  quality  improvement  activities   as
required  by  the  office  of  mental health and the office of addiction
services and supports.
(d) The commissioner of the office of mental  health,  in  conjunction
with  the commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports,
shall establish a comprehensive list of reporting metrics regarding  the
9-8-8  suicide  prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline's usage,
services and impact which, to  the  maximum  extent  practicable,  shall
include, at a minimum:
(1)  The  volume  of  requests  for  assistance that the 9-8-8 suicide
prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline received;
(2) The average length of time taken to respond to  each  request  for
assistance, and the aggregate rates of call abandonment;
(3)  The  types  of  requests  for  assistance  that the 9-8-8 suicide
prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline received;
(4) The number of mobile crisis teams dispatched;
(5) The number of individuals engaged by mobile crisis teams;
(6) The number of individuals transported by mobile  crisis  teams  to
crisis intervention services or other behavioral health crisis services;
(7)   The  number  of  individuals  engaged  by  mobile  crisis  teams
transported to an emergency room;
(8) The number of individuals transferred by mobile  crisis  teams  to
the custody of law enforcement;
(9)  The  number of times a mobile crisis team was the first responder
to a behavioral health crisis and the mobile crisis team had to  request
deployment of law enforcement; and
(10)  The  age,  gender,  race,  and  ethnicity  of the individual, if
reasonably ascertainable,  of  individuals  contacted,  transported,  or
transferred by each mobile crisis team.
(e)  The  commissioner  of the office of mental health, in conjunction
with the commissioner of the office of addiction services and  supports,
shall  submit  an  annual  report  on  or  by December thirty-first, two
thousand   twenty-three   and   annually   thereafter,   regarding   the
comprehensive  list  of reporting metrics to the governor, the temporary
president of the senate, the  speaker  of  the  assembly,  the  minority
leader of the senate and the minority leader of the assembly.
(f)   Moneys   allocated  for  the  payment  of  costs  determined  in
consultation with the commissioners of mental health and the  office  of
addiction  services  and  supports  associated  with the administration,
design, installation, construction, operation, or maintenance of a 9-8-8
suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline  system  serving
the  state, including, but not limited to: staffing, hardware, software,
consultants, financing and other administrative costs to operate  crisis
call-centers  throughout the state and the provision of acute and crisis
services for mental  health  and  substance  use  disorder  by  directly

responding  to  the  9-8-8  hotline established pursuant to the National
Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 (47 U.S.C.  §  251a)  and  rules
adopted  by  the Federal Communications Commission, including such costs
incurred  by the state, shall not supplant any separate existing, future
appropriations, or future funding sources dedicated to the 9-8-8  crisis
response system.