Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 24 - Mental Health › Part 2 - Operational Standards for Mental Health, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Community Service Providers › Chapter 32 - Intensive Community Supports for Serious Emotional Disturbance and Serious Mental Illness › Rule 24-2-32.2 - Program of Assertive Community Treatment Staffing

Current through June 25, 2024
A. Each
				Program of Assertive Community Treatment Team must have the organizational
				capacity to provide a minimum employee person ratio of at least one (1)
				full-time equivalent employee for every ten (10) people (this ratio does not
				include the psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner and the service
				assistant).
B. Each Program of
				Assertive Community Treatment Team must have sufficient numbers of employees to
				provide treatment, rehabilitation, and support services twenty-four (24) hours
				a day, seven (7) days per week.
C.
				In addition to meeting the qualifications outlined in Part 2: Chapter 11, the
				following positions are required for Programs of Assertive Community Treatment
				Teams:
1. Team Leader: A full-time team
				leader/supervisor who is the clinical and administrative supervisor of the team
				and who also functions as a practicing clinician on the Program of Assertive
				Community Treatment Team. At a minimum, this person must have a Master's degree
				in a mental health-related field and professional license or DMH credential as
				a Certified Mental Health Therapist.
2. Psychiatrist/Psychiatric Nurse
				Practitioner: A psychiatrist/psychiatric nurse practitioner, who works on a
				full-time or part-time basis for a minimum of sixteen (16) hours per week for
				every fifty (50) people. For teams serving over fifty (50) people, the
				psychiatrist/psychiatric nurse practitioner must provide an additional three
				(3) hours per week for every fifteen (15) additional people admitted to the
				service (not including on-call time). The psychiatrist/psychiatric nurse
				practitioner provides clinical services to all Program of Assertive Community
				Treatment people; works with the team leader to monitor each person's clinical
				status and response to treatment; supervises employee delivery of services;
				and, directs psychopharmacologic and medical services.
3. At least two (2) full-time registered
				nurses. A team leader with a nursing degree cannot replace one of the full-time
				equivalent nurses.
4. At least one
				(1) Master's level or above mental health professional (in addition to the team
				leader).
5. At least one (1)
				Substance Use Specialist
6. At
				least one (1) Employment Specialist
7. At least one (1) full-time equivalent
				certified Peer Support Specialist Professional. Peer Support Specialists must
				be fully integrated team members.
8. The remaining clinical personnel may be
				Bachelor's level and paraprofessional mental health workers who carry out
				rehabilitation and support functions. A Bachelor's level mental health worker
				has a Bachelor's degree in social work or a behavioral science, and work
				experience with adults with severe and persistent mental illness. A
				paraprofessional mental health worker may have a Bachelor's degree in a field
				other than behavioral sciences or have a high school degree and work experience
				with adults with severe and persistent mental illness or with people with
				similar human-service needs. These paraprofessionals may have related training
				(e.g., certified occupational therapy assistant, home health care aide) or work
				experience (e.g., teaching) and life experience.
9. At least one (1) service assistant who is
				responsible for organizing, coordinating, and monitoring all non-clinical
				operations of Programs of Assertive Community Treatment, including managing
				medical records; operating and coordinating the management information system;
				maintaining accounting and budget records for individual and service
				expenditures; and, providing receptionist activities, including triaging calls
				and coordinating communication between the team and people.