Section 245.4861 Public/academic Liaison Initiative - Minnesota Statutes

245.4861 PUBLIC/ACADEMIC LIAISON INITIATIVE.

Subdivision 1.Establishment of liaison initiative.

The commissioner of human services, in consultation with the appropriate postsecondary institutions, shall establish a public/academic liaison initiative to coordinate and develop brain research and education and training opportunities for mental health professionals in order to improve the quality of staffing and provide state-of-the-art services to residents in regional treatment centers and other state facilities.

Subd. 2.Consultation.

The commissioner of human services shall consult with the Minnesota Department of Health, the regional treatment centers, the postsecondary educational system, mental health professionals, and citizen and advisory groups.

Subd. 3.Liaison initiative programs.

The liaison initiative, within the extent of available funding, shall plan, implement, and administer programs which accomplish the objectives of subdivision 1. These shall include but are not limited to:

(1) encourage and coordinate joint research efforts between academic research institutions throughout the state and regional treatment centers, community mental health centers, and other organizations conducting research on mental illness or working with individuals who are mentally ill;

(2) sponsor and conduct basic research on mental illness and applied research on existing treatment models and community support programs;

(3) seek to obtain grants for research on mental illness from the National Institute of Mental Health and other funding sources;

(4) develop and provide grants for training, internship, scholarship, and fellowship programs for mental health professionals, in an effort to combine academic education with practical experience obtained at regional treatment centers and other state facilities, and to increase the number of mental health professionals working in the state.

Subd. 4.Private and federal funding.

The liaison initiative shall seek private and federal funds to supplement the appropriation provided by the state. Individuals, businesses, and other organizations may contribute to the liaison initiative. All money received shall be administered by the commissioner of human services to implement and administer the programs listed in subdivision 3.

Subd. 5.Report.

By February 15 of each year, the commissioner of human services shall submit to the legislature a liaison initiative report. The annual report shall be part of the commissioner's February 15 report to the legislature required by section 245.487, subdivision 4.

History:

1989 c 282 art 4 s 36