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An act relating to mental health, the official text

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1                             STATE OF OKLAHOMA

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2                 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)

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3 SENATE BILL 740              By: Daniels
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6                             AS INTRODUCED

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7   An Act relating to mental health; amending 43A O.S.

7   2021, Section 1-103, as last amended by Section 1,

8   Chapter 96, O.S.L. 2024 (43A O.S. Supp. 2024, Section

8   1-103), which relates to definitions; modifying

9   certain definitions; and providing an effective date.

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12 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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13  SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY  43A O.S. 2021, Section 1-103, as

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14 last amended by Section 1, Chapter 96, O.S.L. 2024 (43A O.S. Supp.
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15 2024, Section 1-103), is amended to read as follows:
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16  Section 1-103. When used in this title, unless otherwise

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17 expressly stated, or unless the context or subject matter otherwise
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18 requires:
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19  1. "Department" means the Department of Mental Health and

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20 Substance Abuse Services;
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21  2. "Chair" means the chair of the Board of Mental Health and

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22 Substance Abuse Services;
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23  3. "Mental illness" means a substantial disorder of thought,

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24 mood, perception, psychological orientation or memory that
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    Req. No. 208                                               Page 1
1 significantly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize
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2 reality or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life;
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3   4. "Board" means the Board of Mental Health and Substance Abuse

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4 Services as established by the Mental Health Law;
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5   5. "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Mental Health and

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6 Substance Abuse Services;
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7   6. "Indigent person" means a person who does not have

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8 sufficient assets or resources to support the person and to support
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9 members of the family of the person lawfully dependent on the person
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10 for support;
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11  7. "Facility" means any hospital, school, building, house or

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12 retreat, authorized by law to have the care, treatment or custody of
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13 an individual with mental illness, drug or alcohol dependency,
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14 gambling addiction, or an eating disorder including, but not limited
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15 to, public or private hospitals, community mental health centers,
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16 clinics, satellites, and community-based structured crisis centers;
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17 provided, that facility shall not mean a child guidance center
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18 operated by the State Department of Health;
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19  8. "Consumer" means a person under care or treatment in a

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20 facility pursuant to the Mental Health Law, or in an outpatient
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21 status;
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22  9. "Care and treatment" means medical care and behavioral

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23 health services, as well as food, clothing and maintenance,
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24 furnished to a person;
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    Req. No. 208                                                Page 2
1   10. Whenever in this law or in any other law, or in any rule or

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2 order made or promulgated pursuant to this law or to any other law,
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3 or in the printed forms prepared for the admission of consumers or
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4 for statistical reports, the words "insane", "insanity", "lunacy",
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5 "mentally sick", "mental disease" or "mental disorder" are used,
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6 such terms shall have equal significance to the words "mental
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7 illness";
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8   11. "Licensed mental health professional" means:

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9   a. a psychiatrist who is a diplomate of the American

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10                Board of Psychiatry and Neurology,

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11  b. a psychiatrist who is a diplomate of the American

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12                Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry,

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13  c. a physician licensed pursuant to the Oklahoma

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14                Allopathic Medical and Surgical Licensure and

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15                Supervision Act or the Oklahoma Osteopathic Medicine

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16                Act,

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17  d. a clinical psychologist who is duly licensed to

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18                practice by the State Board of Examiners of

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19                Psychologists,

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20  e. a professional counselor licensed pursuant to the

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21                Licensed Professional Counselors Act,

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22  f. a person licensed as a clinical social worker pursuant

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23                to the provisions of the Social Worker's Licensing

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24                Act,

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    Req. No. 208                                                 Page 3
1   g. a licensed marital and family therapist as defined in

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2                 the Marital and Family Therapist Licensure Act,

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3   h. a licensed behavioral practitioner as defined in the

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4                 Licensed Behavioral Practitioner Act,

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5   i. an advanced practice nurse as defined in the Oklahoma

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6                 Nursing Practice Act,

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7   j. a physician's assistant who is licensed in good

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8                 standing in this state, or

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9   k. a licensed alcohol and drug counselor/mental health

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10                (LADC/MH) as defined in the Licensed Alcohol and Drug

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11                Counselors Act;

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12  12. "Mentally incompetent person" means any person who has been

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13 adjudicated mentally or legally incompetent by an appropriate
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14 district court;
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15  13. a. "Person requiring treatment" means a person who

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16                because of his or her mental illness or drug or

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17                alcohol dependency meets at least one of the

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18                following:

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19                (1) poses a substantial risk of immediate physical

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20                  harm to self as manifested by evidence or serious

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21                  threats of or attempts at suicide or other

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22                  significant self-inflicted bodily harm,

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23                (2) poses a substantial risk of immediate physical

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24                  harm to another person or persons as manifested

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    Req. No. 208                                                Page 4
1                 by evidence of violent behavior directed toward

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2                 another person or persons,

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3                 (3) has placed another person or persons in a

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4                 reasonable fear of violent behavior directed

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5                 towards such person or persons or serious

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6                 physical harm to them as manifested by serious

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7                 and immediate threats,

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8                 (4) is in a condition of severe deterioration that is

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9                 continuing, as has been observed within the

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10                previous seventy-two (72) hour period such that,

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11                without immediate intervention, there exists a

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12                substantial risk that severe impairment or injury

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13                will result to the person, or

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14                (5) poses a substantial risk of immediate serious

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15                physical injury harm to self or death as

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16                manifested by evidence that the person is unable

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17                to provide for and is not providing for his or

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18                her basic physical needs.

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19  b. To the extent it is reasonably available, the relevant

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20                mental health or substance abuse history of the person

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21                shall be considered and may be proffered as part of

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22                the evidence to determine whether the person is a

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23                person requiring treatment or an assisted outpatient.

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24                The mental health or substance abuse history of the

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    Req. No. 208                                 Page 5
1                 person shall not be the sole basis for this

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2                 determination.

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3   c. Unless a person also meets the criteria established in

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4                 subparagraph a or b of this paragraph, "person

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5                 requiring treatment" or an "assisted outpatient" shall

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6                 not mean:

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7                 (1) a person whose mental processes have been

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8                 weakened or impaired by reason of advanced years,

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9                 dementia, or Alzheimer's disease,

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10                (2) a person with intellectual or developmental

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11                disability as defined in Title 10 of the Oklahoma

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12                Statutes,

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13                (3) a person with seizure disorder, or

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14                (4) a person with a traumatic brain injury, or

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15                (5) a person who is homeless.

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16  d. (1) A person who meets the criteria established in

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17                this paragraph but who is medically unstable may

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18                be discharged and transported in accordance with

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19                Section 1-110 of this title. Alternatively, if

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20                the facility holding the person is able to treat

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21                the additional medical conditions of that person,

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22                the facility may treat the additional medical

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23                conditions in an effort to medically stabilize

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24                the patient.

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    Req. No. 208                                               Page 6
1                 (2) If the facility holding the person is unable to

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2                 treat the additional medical conditions of a

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3                 person who meets the criteria established in this

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4                 paragraph, the patient shall be discharged and

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5                 transported in accordance with Section 1-110 of

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6                 this title.

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7                 (3) All time elapsed during medical stabilization

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8                 tolls the twelve (12) hour time for an initial

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9                 assessment pursuant to paragraph 1 of subsection

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10                A of Section 5-208 of this title, and the one-

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11                hundred-twenty-hour emergency detention time

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12                pursuant to paragraph 3 of subsection A of

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13                Section 5-208 of this title;

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14  14. "Petitioner" means a person who files a petition alleging

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15 that an individual is a person requiring treatment or an assisted
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16 outpatient;
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17  15. "Executive director" means the person in charge of a

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18 facility as defined in this section;
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19  16. "Private hospital or facility" means any general hospital

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20 maintaining a neuro-psychiatric unit or ward, or any private
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21 hospital or facility for care and treatment of a person having a
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22 mental illness, which is not supported by the state or federal
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23 government. The term "private hospital" or "facility" shall not
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    Req. No. 208                                Page 7
1 include nursing homes or other facilities maintained primarily for
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2 the care of elderly and disabled persons;
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3   17. "Individualized treatment plan" means a proposal developed

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4 during the stay of an individual in a facility, under the provisions
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5 of this title, which is specifically tailored to the treatment needs
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6 of the individual. Each plan shall clearly include the following:
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7   a. a statement of treatment goals or objectives, based

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8                 upon and related to a clinical evaluation, which can

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9                 be reasonably achieved within a designated time

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10                interval,

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11  b. treatment methods and procedures to be used to obtain

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12                these goals, which methods and procedures are related

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13                to each of these goals and which include specific

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14                prognosis for achieving each of these goals,

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15  c. identification of the types of professional personnel

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16                who will carry out the treatment procedures including

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17                appropriate medical or other professional involvement

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18                by a physician or other health professional properly

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19                qualified to fulfill legal requirements mandated under

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20                state and federal law,

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21  d. documentation of involvement by the individual

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22                receiving treatment and, if applicable, the accordance

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23                of the individual with the treatment plan, and

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    Req. No. 208                                                Page 8
1   e. a statement attesting that the executive director of

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2                 the facility or clinical director has made a

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3                 reasonable effort to meet the plan's individualized

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4                 treatment goals in the least restrictive environment

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5                 possible closest to the home community of the

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6                 individual;

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7   18. "Telemedicine" means technology-enabled health and care

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8 management and delivery systems that extend capacity and access,
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9 which includes:
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10  a. synchronous mechanisms, which may include live

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11                audiovisual interaction between a patient and a health

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12                care professional or real-time provider to provider

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13                consultation through live interactive audiovisual

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14                means,

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15  b. asynchronous mechanisms, which include store and

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16                forward transfers, online exchange of health

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17                information between a patient and a health care

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18                professional and online exchange of health information

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19                between health care professionals, but shall not

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20                include the use of automated text messages or

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21                automated mobile applications that serve as the sole

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22                interaction between a patient and a health care

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23                professional,

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24  c. remote patient monitoring, and

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    Req. No. 208                                                 Page 9
1   d. other electronic means that support clinical health

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2                 care, professional consultation, patient and

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3                 professional health-related education, public health

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4                 and health administration;

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5   19. "Recovery and recovery support" means nonclinical services

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6 that assist individuals and families to recover from alcohol or drug
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7 problems. They include social support, linkage to and coordination
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8 among allied service providers including but not limited to
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9 transportation to and from treatment or employment, employment
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10 services and job training, case management and individual services
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11 coordination, life skills education, relapse prevention, housing
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12 assistance, child care, and substance abuse education;
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13  20. "Assisted outpatient" means a person who:

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14  a. is either currently under the care of a facility

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15                certified by the Department of Mental Health and

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16                Substance Abuse Services as a Community Mental Health

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17                Center, or is being discharged from the custody of the

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18                Oklahoma Department of Corrections, or is being

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19                discharged from a residential placement by the Office

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20                of Juvenile Affairs,

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21  b. is suffering from a mental illness,

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22  c. is unlikely to survive safely in the community without

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23                supervision, based on a clinical determination,

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    Req. No. 208                                                Page 10
1   d. has a history of lack of compliance with treatment for

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2                 mental illness that has:

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3                 (1) prior to the filing of a petition, at least twice

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4                 within the last thirty-six (36) months been a

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5                 significant factor in necessitating

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6                 hospitalization or treatment in a hospital or

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7                 residential facility including admission to a

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8                 community-based structured crisis center as

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9                 certified by the Oklahoma Department of Mental

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10                Health and Substance Abuse Services, or receipt

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11                of services in a forensic or other mental health

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12                unit of a correctional facility, or a specialized

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13                treatment plan for treatment of mental illness in

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14                a secure juvenile facility or placement in a

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15                specialized residential program for juveniles, or

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16                (2) prior to the filing of the petition, resulted in

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17                one or more acts of serious violent behavior

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18                toward self or others or threats of, or attempts

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19                at, serious physical harm to self or others

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20                within the last twenty-four (24) thirty-six (36)

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21                months,

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22  e. is, as a result of his or her mental illness, unlikely

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23                to voluntarily participate in outpatient treatment

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    Req. No. 208                                       Page 11
1                 that would enable him or her to live safely in the

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2                 community,

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3   f. in view of his or her treatment history and current

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4                 behavior, is in need of assisted outpatient treatment

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5                 in order to prevent a relapse or deterioration which

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6                 would be likely to result in serious harm to the

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7                 person or persons as defined in this section, and

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8   g. is likely to benefit from assisted outpatient

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9                 treatment;

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10  21. "Assisted outpatient treatment" means outpatient services

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11 which have been ordered by the court pursuant to a treatment plan
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12 approved by the court to treat an assisted outpatient's mental
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13 illness and to assist the person in living and functioning in the
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14 community, or to attempt to prevent a relapse or deterioration that
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15 may reasonably be predicted to result in suicide or the need for
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16 hospitalization; and
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17  22. "Urgent recovery clinic" means a clinic that offers

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18 voluntary services aimed at the assessment and immediate
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19 stabilization of acute symptoms of mental illness, alcohol and other
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20 drug abuse, and emotional distress. Unless the person receiving
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21 treatment consents to a longer duration or unless the person is
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22 placed into emergency detention under Sections 5-206 through 5-209
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23 of this title, no more than twenty-three (23) hours and fifty-nine
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    Req. No. 208                                             Page 12
1 (59) minutes of services may be provided to a consumer during one
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2 episode of care at an urgent recovery clinic.
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3   SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.

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5   60-1-208      DC  1/19/2025 5:42:20 AM

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    Req. No. 208                                 Page 13
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