Rhode Island requires mobile crisis care around the clock for youth

The Department of Children, Youth and Families must run statewide mobile response and stabilization services with the state Medicaid agency. Services cover children and young people up to age 21 across Rhode Island, regardless of insurance or Medicaid eligibility. Starting care requires no prior approval, referral, or clinical intake decision. Insurance status, referral source, and screening rules inconsistent with a family's view of the crisis cannot block or delay care. Teams respond in person unless clinically inappropriate. Staff may choose phone or video care when clinically appropriate and retain clinical judgment over deployment, response type, and timing. Care includes crisis assessment, family support, short-term stabilization, and connections to ongoing help. Teams provide care in familiar settings when clinically appropriate. The law takes effect upon passage. The 60-minute response deadline runs from initial contact.

The Department of Children, Youth and Families must license and oversee two or three mobile crisis providers. Each provider serves an assigned region and must be willing to help other licensed providers when needed. Teams need at least two staff members, including a licensed mental health clinician, and access to clinical supervision and psychiatric advice around the clock. Providers must show expertise with children and families and offer accessible care that responds to families' languages and cultures. Providers mainly serving adults must demonstrate child-specific capacity, staffing, and supervision. The department must set rules for providers to help one another during high demand or staff shortages. Only licensed providers may deliver these services. The requirements take effect upon passage. By January 1 each year, the department must report on service use, geographic coverage, spending, outcomes, and recommended legal or budget changes.

The state Medicaid agency must cover mobile crisis services for eligible young people and develop an alternative way to pay providers. Medicaid coverage applies to eligible children and young people up to age 21. The agency must submit any needed federal applications for coverage. Implementing the alternative payment method requires federal approval. Medicaid may review service use or require prior approval to meet federal requirements and protect the program. Separately, starting crisis services requires no prior approval. By October 1, 2027, the agency must report the steps and costs needed for the alternative payment method. Implementation is due no later than October 1, 2028, with federal approval.