S_HHS_2019A 04/19/2019 09:39:11 AM Committee Summary

Senator Fields, bill sponsor, presented House Bill 19-1133.  This bill establishes the Colorado Child Abuse Response and Evaluation Network (CARENetwork) in the Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).  The CARENetwork is created to support the provision of medical exams and behavioral health assessments to children age 5 and under in suspected cases of physical or sexual abuse or neglect, and children age 12 and under in suspected cases of sexual abuse.  



CARENetwork resource center. The CDPHE is required to award a contract to a resource center to establish the CARENetwork by September 1, 2019.  The resource center must be a nationally recognized organization specializing in child abuse pediatrics with the expertise to establish standards for the CARENetwork, and to provide education and training for designated providers.  The resource center will:

• work to increase local capacity of providers to perform health assessments for suspected cases of physical or sexual abuse or neglect;
• develop best practice standards, including a review of national accreditation standards, for exams and assessments;
• develop a streamlined medical and behavioral health referral process;
• establish a structure to ensure a coordinated response to suspected cases of abuse;
• encourage participation and enhance the role of providers in multidisciplinary teams in local communities to provide support for the CARENetwork;
• collaborate with existing local programs to provide education, training, collaborative mentorship, and support for providers, including education and training about signs that children may be at risk of abuse and resources available to families;
• collect and analyze data to identify and monitor outcomes of the CARENetwork; and
• report annually to the CDPHE and the Department of Human Services (DHS).

Antonia Chiesa, The Kempe Foundation, testified in support of the bill.

John Faught, The Kempe Foundation, testified in support of the bill and responded to questions.

Debra Judy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, testified in support of the bill.

Kelly Erb, Colorado Rural Health Center, testified in support of the bill.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Commissioner Conway responded to committee questions.

Amendment L.009 was distributed to the committee (Attachment A).  Committee discussion and questions ensued.

Shannon Groves, Kaiser Permanente, responded to questions about amendment L.009 (Attachment A).

Committee discussion followed.

Committee discussion followed.

Senator Ginal and Senator Gardner, bill sponsors, presented House Bill 19-1269.  This bill requires private health insurers and the state's Medicaid plan to provide medically necessary coverage for behavioral, mental health, and substance use disorder services on par with the coverage for physical health services and to demonstrate compliance through new reporting requirements.

Senators Ginal and Gardner responded to questions.

Lauren Snyder, Mental Health Colorado, testified in support of the bill and distributed a handout (Attachment B).

Moe Keller, Mental Health Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Kevin J.D. Wilson, Children's Hospital Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Dr. Alexis Ritvo, Colorado Psychiatric Society, Colorado Society of Addiction Medicine, and Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society, testified in support of the bill.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Jim Wiegand, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.

Debra Judy, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, testified in support of the bill.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Heidi Haines, The Arc of Colorado, testified in support of the bill.

Wes Skills, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, read the testimony of Bethany Pray in support of the bill.

Kelly Erb, Colorado Rural Health Center, testified in support of the bill.

Matt Mortier, DOI, testified in support of the bill.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Senators Ginal and Gardner made closing remarks.

Senator Fields and Senator Crowder, bill sponsors, presented
House Bill 19-1288.  This bill establishes certain rights for siblings
in foster care, unless the rights are not in the best interests of one
of the siblings. These include the rights to:

• be placed in foster care homes with siblings;
• be placed in close geographical distance to siblings;
  
• obtain temporary respite placements together, when possible;
  
• be placed with families and professionals who have had
  training on the importance of sibling relationships;
• be notified about changes in sibling placement or catastrophic
  events;
• be included in permanency planning discussions;
• maintain frequent and meaningful contact;
• be involved in each other's lives and share celebrations;
  
• annually receive contact information for all siblings;
  
• have private communications;
• be provided an explanation if contact with a sibling is
  restricted or denied;
• expect that a guardian ad litem will advocate for request
  contact and visits with siblings;
• have contact with siblings in any adoptive or guardianship
  placement; and
• receive age-appropriate documents from the county department
  of human services describing these rights.

In addition,
the bill allows an adult sibling of a youth in foster care to have the
right to be considered as a foster care provider, adoptive parent, and
relative custodian to their sibling.  Finally, the bill requires a
county department of human services to develop a sibling contact plan for
youth with siblings in foster care.

Becky Updike, Rocky Mountain Children's Law Center, testified in support of the bill.

Stacey Sanders, Elevating Connections, testified in support of the bill.

Davion, representing himself, testified in support of the bill.

Bri Lennon, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

Dominique Mallard, Project Foster Power, testified in support of the bill.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Senator Fields recessed the meeting.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Christine Bottomley, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, testified in support of the bill.

Gail DeVore, representing herself, testified in support of the bill.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Matt Mortier, DOI, testified in support of the bill.

The witness panel responded to questions.

Senators Priola and Donovan made closing remarks.