37.106.1938    MENTAL HEALTH CENTER: MENTAL HEALTH GROUP HOME

(1) In addition to the requirements established in this subchapter, each mental health center providing a mental health group home shall comply with the requirements established in this rule.

(2) The purpose of a mental health group home is to provide residential treatment for adults with a mental illness.

(3) The mental health group home is considered to be a community residential facility for the purposes of local zoning and building codes reviews.

(4) The mental health group home must be annually inspected for compliance with fire codes by the state fire marshal or the marshal's designee. The home shall maintain a record of such inspection for at least one year following the date of the inspection.

(5) The mental health group home shall:

(a) employ or contract with a program supervisor who is knowledgeable about the service and support needs of individuals with mental illnesses;

(b) maintain staffing at least eight hours daily. Additional staff hours and supervision shall be dictated by the needs of the group home residents;

(c) ensure that 24 hour a day emergency mental health care is available through the mental health center or other contracted entities;

(d) structure its treatment activities to promote increasing levels of independence in the client's functioning;

(e) establish admission criteria which assess the individual's needs and the appropriateness of the services to meet those needs. At a minimum, admission criteria must require that the person:

(i) be 18 years of age or older and be unable to maintain the stability of their mental illness in an independent living situation;

(ii) be diagnosed with a mental illness;

(iii) be medically stable;

(iv) not be an immediate danger to self or others;

(v) requires a transitional residential level of care from a short acute hospital stay or long-term commitment, or requires some ongoing residential structure or supervision;

(vi) sign a contract to follow group home rules.

(f) assess new admissions to the mental health group home and offer ongoing treatment and training in the following areas:

(i) community adjustment (ability to use community resources such as stores, professional services, recreational facilities, government agencies, etc.) ;

(ii) personal care (grooming, food preparation, housekeeping, money management, etc.) ;

(iii) socialization; and

(iv) recreation/leisure.

(g) maintain progress notes for each client. The progress notes must be entered into the client's clinical record at least every 30 days and upon the occurrence of any significant change in the client's condition.

(6) Staff working in the mental health group home must:

(a) be 18 years of age;

(b) possess a high school diploma or GED;

(c) have received training in the treatment of adults with a mental illness;

(d) be capable of implementing each resident's treatment plan; and

(e) be trained in the Heimlich maneuver and maintain certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) .

(7) The program supervisor shall orient new staff on how to deal with client rule violations, new admissions, emergency situations, after hour admissions and client incident reports. Written policies and procedures for handling day-to-day operations must be available at the group home.

(8) The program supervisor and all program staff must each have a minimum of six contact hours of annual training relating to adult mental illness and treatment.

(9) The program supervisor and group home program staff must be trained in the therapeutic de-escalation of crisis situations to ensure the protection and safety of the residents and staff. The training must include the use of physical and nonphysical methods of managing residents, and must be updated, at least annually, to ensure that necessary skills are maintained.

(10) Upon admission, each resident must be provided with:

(a) a written statement of resident rights which, at a minimum, include the applicable patient rights in 53-21-142 , MCA;

(b) a copy of the mental health center grievance procedure; and

(c) the written rules of conduct including the consequences for violating the rules.

(11) At the time of a resident's discharge from the group home, the staff shall assist the resident in making arrangements for housing, employment, education, training, treatment, and/or other services needed for adequate adjustment to community living.

History: 50-5-103, MCA; IMP, 50-5-103, 50-5-204, MCA; NEW, 1998 MAR p. 539, Eff. 2/27/98; TRANS & AMD, 2002 MAR p. 916, Eff. 3/29/02.