Mental health services for children and youth would get a much-needed boost under a bill that awaits action by Gov. Josh Green.
SB 1442 would require the state’s Adolescent Mental Health Division to establish family guidance centers in different counties and offer a network of preventative, early identification, screening, diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative services.
The bill was part of the legislative agenda of Green, America’s only sitting governor who’s also a medical doctor.
It provides free mental health services for children and youth in Hawaii who have severe emotional or behavioral challenges and for youth who are incarcerated or detained.
SB 1442 would provide the first update to adolescent mental health services in 50 years, defining the expectations of the state Department of Health’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division amid uncertainty over future federal funding that could put the state at risk for litigation, the Health Department testified.
“An unfunded mandate to serve all eligible youth could expose the state to potential litigation,” with “uncertainty about the future of federal grants and Medicaid funding to support vulnerable populations,” the division wrote in support of SB 1442.
The division relies on federal funding to run all of its programs.
“Over the past 30 years, CAMHD has leveraged federal system of care grants to actively develop and improve the child and adolescent mental health service system,” it wrote.
The final version of SB 1442 reflects the division’s requests and clarifies that it would only be expected to provide services if federal or state funds are available.
“Today CAMHD is the state’s Medicaid provider for intensive mental health services for children and adolescents with a serious emotional disturbance,” the division wrote.
SB 1442 also would create flexibility for the division to report issues to the Legislature that need to be changed or done differently.
Before the legislative session in 2027 and every five years after that the division would be required to submit a statewide mental health services plan to the governor and the Legislature that assesses resources, needs of the community and recommendations.
SB 1442 would require at least one public hearing in each county to review the Adolescent Mental Health Division’s mental health services plan with the community before any amendments are made.
No opposing testimony was submitted.
Alan Johnson chairs the Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition and wrote testimony supporting SB 1442, emphasizing the importance of new legislation.
“Updating these codes ensures that children’s mental health care remains current, effective, and accessible,” Johnson wrote.
Through SB 1442, researchers and health care providers could “track mental health trends in children, assess treatment effectiveness, and develop better policies,” Johnson wrote.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs also wrote testimony in support of SB 1442 and applauding the division’s use of “culturally sensitive” mental health services.
SB 1442 would “serve as a critical steppingstone toward reducing Native Hawaiian mental health-associated disparities through targeted and systemic relief,” OHA wrote.
“Data indicate Native Hawaiian youth are more likely to experience sadness, depression, and suicidal ideation than their non-Native Hawaiian peers,” OHA wrote.
Theresa Sablan, a Master of Social Work student at the University of Hawaii, wrote testimony to support updating the division’s responsibilities.
“Suicide is the second leading cause of death in the United States for adolescents aged 10 to 14,” Sablan wrote, citing the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
“Mental illness is a significant public health crisis among youth.”
