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SB 262

AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION SERVICES TO PROVIDE DATA TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH BY CATCHMENT AREA FOR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGE AREA SCORES.

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jeff Gordon

Requires mental health agencies to share catchment-area data with public health officials to identify regions lacking sufficient mental health providers for federal funding programs.

REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Public Health
#healthcaredata #medicalpersonnel #mentalhealthandaddictionservices #departmentof #publichealth
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Bill Summary · SB 262

Legislative bill overview

SB 262 mandates that Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services share data with the Department of Public Health organized by catchment area (geographic service regions). This data will be used to calculate Health Care Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) scores, which identify regions with insufficient mental health providers.

Why is this important

HPSA designations trigger federal funding, loan forgiveness programs, and recruitment incentives for healthcare providers in underserved areas. By ensuring mental health data is included in shortage area assessments, this bill aims to direct resources to communities with inadequate mental health coverage, potentially improving access to psychiatric care and addiction services in rural and underserved urban areas.

Potential points of contention

  • Data privacy concerns: Mental health information is highly sensitive; the bill doesn't explicitly detail safeguards for how data will be protected or anonymized during transfer between agencies
  • Resource burden: The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services may lack technical capacity to reorganize existing data by catchment area, potentially creating administrative costs
  • Definition ambiguity: The bill doesn't clarify which specific metrics or data points should be included, potentially leading to disagreement about what constitutes relevant shortage area indicators

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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