SB164/HB605: Veterans – Behavioral Health Services: Mental Health First Aid:  Requiring that the behavioral health services for which the Maryland Department of Health provides service coordination for veterans under certain provisions of law include mental health first aid; requiring that mental health first aid consist of training for veterans and the immediate family members of veterans on how to identify and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders; requiring entities teaching a mental health first aid course to report certain information to the Department; etc. The MPS supported this bill. Effective October 1, 2021.

SB638/HB919: Maryland Insurance Commissioner – Specialty Mental Health Services and Payment of Claims – Enforcement: Requiring the Maryland Insurance Commissioner to enforce a certain provision of law providing that the provisions of § 15-1005 of the Insurance Article apply to a certain delivery system for specialty mental health services and administered by an administrative services organization; prohibiting a certain administrative services organization from using certain funds or otherwise passing certain expenses onto the State; requiring a certain administrative services organization to pay certain interest to certain persons; etc. The MPS supported this bill. Effective upon enactment.

SB815/HB881: Mental Health Facilities – Sexual Abuse and Harassment – Reporting and Prevention: Requiring residential treatment facilities to report complaints of sexual abuse and sexual harassment within 24 hours of receiving the complaint to the Behavioral Health Administration, the Office of Health Care Quality, or in the case of a minor, to Child Protective Services; requiring the Office and the Administration to develop and implement a certain reporting system; requiring facilities to develop and implement policies and procedures for responding to complaints of sexual abuse and harassment; etc. Effective October 1, 2021.

SB313/HB119: Maryland Department of Health – Public Health Outreach Programs – Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Other Types of Dementia: Requiring the Maryland Department of Health, in partnership with the Department of Aging, the Virginia I. Jones Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Council, and the Greater Maryland Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, to incorporate information regarding certain types of cognitive impairment into outreach programs administered by the Maryland Department of Health to educate health care providers and increase understanding of certain types of cognitive impairment. Effective October 1, 2021.