The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall designate mental health regions within the state. Such regions and boundaries thereof may be redesignated by said commissioner as he deems necessary. For the purposes of sections 17a-476 and 17a-478 to 17a-480, inclusive, “community mental health services” means comprehensive services, both medical and nonmedical, designed to (1) decrease the prevalence and incidence of psychiatric disabilities, emotional disturbance and social disfunctioning, and (2) promote mental health in individuals, groups and institutions and includes, but is not limited to, the following: Outreach and case finding, inpatient treatment, outpatient treatment, partial hospitalization, diagnosis and screening, aftercare and rehabilitation, education, consultation, emergency services, research, evaluation, training and services to the courts. The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services may enter into such contracts for services as may be required to carry out the provisions of subsection (a) of section 17a-476, sections 17a-478 to 17a-480, inclusive, and sections 17a-482 to 17a-484, inclusive.

(P.A. 74-224, S. 1, 8; P.A. 75-563, S. 1, 14; P.A. 76-435, S. 57, 82; P.A. 78-166, S. 2, 6; P.A. 82-198, S. 1, 7; P.A. 90-209, S. 20; P.A. 95-257, S. 11, 48, 58; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8, S. 4, 88.)

History: P.A. 75-563 clarified provisions re establishment of mental health service regions and duration of regional directors' service and gave mental health commissioner power to make contracts for services; P.A. 76-435 clarified contract power by listing sections specifically applicable rather than referring to “this chapter”; P.A. 78-166 deleted reference to repealed Sec. 17-226; P.A. 82-198 changed mental health service region to mental health region, revising region director's title accordingly; P.A. 90-209 deleted reference to repealed Sec. 17-226d; Sec. 17-226e transferred to Sec. 17a-478 in 1991; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Mental Health with Commissioner and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and “mental illness” with “psychiatric disabilities”, effective July 1, 1995; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-8 deleted provisions re mental health regions, effective July 1, 1997.

See Sec. 17a-482 for applicable definitions.

See Sec. 17a-484 re regional mental health boards.