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AB 2581 (Salas) – Mental Health Providers: Credentials
This bill would require a health care service plan or disability insurer that provides coverage for mental
health and substance use disorders and credentials health care providers of those services for the health
care service plan’s or disability insurer’s networks, to assess and verify the qualifications of a health care
provider within 60 days after receiving a completed provider credentialing application.

AB 2768 (Waldron) – Mental Health Disorders: Database of Facilities
This bill would require the California Health and Human Services Agency, either on its own or through the
Behavioral Health Task Force established by the Governor, to create an ad hoc committee to study how to
develop a real-time, internet-based system, usable by hospitals, clinics, law enforcement, paramedics and
emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and other health care providers as deemed appropriate, to display
information about available beds in inpatient psychiatric facilities, crisis stabilization units, residential
community mental health facilities, and residential alcoholism or substance abuse treatment facilities in
order to facilitate the identification and designation of available facilities for the transfer to, and temporary
treatment of, individuals in mental health or substance use disorder crisis.

AB 2790 (Wicks) – Reporting of Crimes: Mandated Reporters
This bill would, on and after January 1, 2024, remove the requirement that a health practitioner make a
report to law enforcement when they suspect a patient has suffered physical injury caused by assaultive or
abusive conduct.

SB 853 (Wiener) – Prescription Drug Coverage
This bill would expand existing prohibitions to prohibit limiting or excluding coverage of a drug, dose, or
dosage form, and would apply the prohibition to blanket disability insurance policies and certificates. The
bill would prohibit a health care service plan or disability insurer that provides coverage for prescription
drugs from limiting or declining to cover a drug or dose of a drug as prescribed or imposing additional
cost sharing for covering a drug as prescribed if specified criteria apply.

SB 882 (Eggman) – Intellectual Disabilities and Law Enforcement
This bill would create the Advisory Council on Improving Interactions between People with Intellectual
and Development Disabilities and Law Enforcement, under the Department of Justice, to, among other
things, evaluate existing training for peace officers specific to interactions between law enforcement and
individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The bill would require the council to be
composed of 9 members, appointed by the Governor, Senate Committee on Rules, and Speaker of the
Assembly, including an individual with an intellectual or developmental disability and a representative
from a law enforcement organization. The bill would require the council to submit a report including
recommendations to the Legislature for improving outcomes of interactions with both individuals who
have an intellectual or developmental disability and mental health conditions, as specified.

SB 1002 (Portantino) – Workers’ Compensation: LCWSs
This bill would include a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) as treatment of work injury that an
employer is reasonably required to provide, would expand the meaning of medical treatment to include
the services of an LCSW, and would authorize an employer to provide an employee with access to an
LCSW, as defined, acting within the scope of their practice.

SB 1259 (Laird) – Pharmacists: Opioid Antagonists
Current law authorizes a pharmacist to furnish naloxone hydrochloride in accordance with standardized
procedures and protocols developed and approved by the board and the Medical Board of California,
subject to completion by the pharmacist of specified continuing education on the use of
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PSYCHIATRIC SOCIETY Page 22 May/June 2022