Iowa § 225A.3 - 225A.3 Behavioral health service system — department powers and duties.

§ 225A.3. 225A.3 Behavioral health service system — department powers and duties.

1. a. A behavioral health service system is established under the control of the department for the purposes of implementing a statewide system of prevention, education, early intervention, treatment, recovery support, and crisis services related to mental health and addictive disorders, including but not limited to alcohol use, substance use, tobacco use, and problem gambling. b. The behavioral health service system shall support equitable statewide access to all services offered through the behavioral health service system and offer specialized services with a focus on at-risk populations including but not limited to children, youth, young adults, individuals with disabilities, pregnant and parenting women, older adults, and people with limited access to financial resources. c. Services offered through the behavioral health service system shall, at a minimum, include all of the following: (1) Prevention intervention services and education programs designed to reduce and mitigate behavioral health conditions and future behavioral health conditions. Prevention intervention programs shall incorporate indicated prevention, selective prevention, and universal prevention activities. (2) Evidence-based and evidence-informed early intervention and treatment services. (3) Comprehensive recovery support services with a focus on community-based services that avoid, divert, or offset the need for long-term inpatient services, law enforcement involvement, or incarceration. (4) Crisis services with a focus on reducing the escalation of crisis situations, relieving the immediate distress of individuals experiencing a crisis situation, and reducing the risk that individuals in a crisis situation harm themselves. 2. To the extent funding is available, the department shall perform all of the following duties to develop and administer the behavioral health service system: a. (1) Develop a state behavioral health service system plan that accomplishes all of the following: (a) Identifies the goals, objectives, and targeted outcomes for the behavioral health service system. (b) Identifies the strategies to meet system objectives and ensure equitable access statewide to prevention, education, early intervention, treatment, recovery support, and crisis services. (c) Is consistent with the state health improvement plan developed under section 217.17. (d) Is consistent with the department’s agency strategic plan adopted pursuant to section 8E.206.* (2) The department shall do all of the following when developing the state behavioral health service system plan: (a) Collaborate with stakeholders including but not limited to county supervisors and other local elected officials, experienced behavioral health providers, and organizations that represent populations, including but not limited to children, served by the behavioral health service system. (b) Publish the proposed state behavioral health service system plan on the department’s internet site and allow the public to review and comment on the proposed state behavioral health system plan prior to the adoption of the proposed state behavioral health plan. b. Administer and distribute state appropriations, federal aid, and grants that have been deposited into the behavioral health fund established in section 225A.7. c. Oversee, provide technical assistance to, and monitor administrative services organizations to ensure the administrative services organizations’ compliance with district behavioral health plans. d. Collaborate with the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing on the accreditation, certification, and licensure of behavioral health providers including but not limited to the approval, denial, revocation, or suspension of a behavioral health provider’s accreditation, certification, or licensure. e. Develop and adopt minimum accreditation standards for the maintenance and Thu Dec 11 19:01:28 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 225A.3 (1, 1) §225A.3, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICE SYSTEM 2 operation of community mental health centers to ensure that each community mental health center, and each entity that provides services under contract with a community mental health center, furnishes high-quality mental health services to the community that the community mental health center serves in accordance with rules adopted by the department. f. Designate community mental health centers. g. Conduct formal accreditation reviews of community mental health centers based on minimum accreditation standards adopted by the department pursuant to paragraph “e”. h. Establish and maintain a data collection and management information system to identify, collect, and analyze service outcome and performance data to address the needs of patients, providers, the department, and programs operating within the behavioral health service system. i. Collect, monitor, and utilize information including but not limited to behavioral health service system patient records and syndromic surveillance data to understand emerging needs, and to deploy information, resources, and technical assistance in response. j. Collaborate with the department of revenue for enforcement of tobacco laws, regulations, and ordinances and engage in tobacco control activities. k. Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this chapter. Such rules shall include but not be limited to rules that provide for all of the following: (1) Minimum access standards to ensure equitable access to services provided through the behavioral health service system including but not limited to when services are available, who is eligible for services, and where services are available. (2) Methods to ensure each individual who is eligible for services receives an uninterrupted continuum of care for prevention, education, early intervention, treatment, recovery support, and crisis services. (3) Standards for the implementation and maintenance of behavioral health programs and services offered by the behavioral health service system, and by each administrative services organization. (4) Procedures for the management and oversight of behavioral health providers to ensure compliance with the terms of the behavioral health providers’ contracts relating to the behavioral health service system, and with state and federal law and rules. (5) Procedures for the suspension of an administrative services organization’s services due to the administrative services organization’s failure to comply with the terms and conditions of its contract with the department. (6) Procedures for the reallocation of funds from an administrative services organization that is not in compliance with the terms of its contract with the department to an alternative administrative services organization or a behavioral health provider to provide for services the noncompliant administrative services organization failed to provide. (7) Procedures for the termination of an administrative services organization’s designation as an administrative services organization. (8) Procedures for the collection, utilization, and maintenance of the data necessary to establish a central data repository in accordance with section 225A.6. (9) Any other requirements the department deems necessary to ensure that an administrative services organization fulfills the administrative services organization’s duties as established in this chapter, and as established in the administrative services organization’s district behavioral health plan. 2024 Acts, ch 1161, §3, 11 Referred to in §217.37, 225A.1, 225A.2, 225A.9, 249N.8, 252.24, 347.16, 423.3, 602.8102(39) *Section 8E.206 repealed by 2024 Acts, ch 1082, §14; corrective legislation is pending Section effective July 1, 2025; 2024 Acts, ch 1161, §11 NEW section Thu Dec 11 19:01:28 2025 Iowa Code 2026, Section 225A.3 (1, 1)