Applicants may operate listed program elements, but they must explain how the elements fit with community programs; some program types have staffing, admission, and resident-participation requirements.
The following shall be the program elements of the system. These shall be designed to provide, at every level, alternatives to institutional settings. Applicants applying to operate program elements shall show how each of these elements works with the current programs in the community the facility will serve. Applicants may apply for operation under the following program elements: (1) A short-term crisis residential alternative to hospitalization for individuals experiencing an acute episode or situational crisis. The program shall be available for admissions twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The primary focus of this element shall be on reduction of the crisis, stabilization, diagnostic evaluation, and assessment of the person's existing support system, including recommendations for referrals upon discharge. This service in the program shall be designed for persons who would otherwise be referred to an acute inpatient psychiatric unit; (2) A long-term residential treatment program for clients who would otherwise be living marginally in the community with little or no service support, and who would return many times to the hospital for treatment. It also will serve those who are referred to, and maintained in, state facilities or nursing homes, or private or public facilities or programs under contract with the director pursuant to section 334‑2.5, because they require long-term, intensive support. This service shall be designed to provide a rehabilitation program for the so-called "chronic" patient who needs long-term support in order to develop independent living skills. This program goes beyond maintenance to provide an active rehabilitation focus for these individuals; (3) A transitional residential program designed for persons who are able to take part in programs in the general community, but who, without the support of counseling as well as the therapeutic community, would be at risk of returning to the hospital or becoming homeless by reason of serious and persistent mental health challenges. These programs may employ a variety of staffing patterns and are for persons who are expected to move toward a more independent living setting. The clients shall be expected to play a major role in the functioning of the household and shall be encouraged to accept increasing levels of responsibility, both in the residential community and in the community as a whole. Residents are required to be involved in daytime activities outside of the facility that are relevant to their personal goals and conducive to their achieving more self-sufficiency; or (4) A semisupervised, independent, but structured living arrangement for persons who do not need the intensive support of the system elements of paragraph (1), (2), or (3), but who, without some support and structure, are at risk of requiring hospitalization or becoming homeless by reason of serious and persistent mental health challenges. The small cooperative housing units shall function as independent households with direct linkages to staff support in case of emergencies, as well as for regular assessment and evaluation meetings. Individuals may use satellite housing as a transition to independent living or may remain in this setting indefinitely in order to avoid the need for more intensive settings. This element is for persons who only need minimum professional or paraprofessional support in order to live in the community. These units should be as normative as the general living arrangements in the communities in which they are developed. [L 1980, c 221, pt of §2; am L 1985, c 219, §1; am L 1986, c 237, §2; am L 1997, c 220, §3; am L 1999, c 119, §7; am L 2016, c 186, §5]