(a) The Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall, within available appropriations, establish a pilot peer engagement specialist program, in one mental health region designated pursuant to § 17a-478, to provide intensive community support and case management services for persons who require individualized outreach services due to their persistent rejection of traditional mental health services and potential for violence. An individual shall be offered a peer engagement specialist under the program when the commissioner determines, based on objective documentation, that such individual (1) has inflicted or threatened to inflict serious physical injury upon another person or persons on one or more occasions within the last five years, (2) has demonstrated a persistent rejection of traditional mental health services, and (3) needs the services offered by an engagement specialist and would benefit from such services.

(b) Not later than September 1, 2000, the commissioner may hire or contract with persons who are in recovery from psychiatric disabilities to act as peer engagement specialists under the program established under this section. Such peer engagement specialists, when so hired or contracted with, shall be accountable to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. The peer engagement specialists shall participate in the assessment of individuals being considered for participation in the program established under this section. The responsibilities of the peer engagement specialists shall include, but not be limited to: (1) Assisting in the creation of the individual’s recovery plan; (2) participating in or initiating conferences designed to establish individualized service strategies; (3) providing consultation to the primary care agencies; (4) participating in all treatment meetings concerning the individual; (5) providing outreach, support and follow-up services to program participants; (6) ensuring that a partnership exists among the individual participant, the peer engagement specialist and the assigned care manager; (7) serving as peer and role model for individual participants; (8) teaching life skills and interpersonal skills that will ultimately help individual participants to build their own circles of support; (9) assisting in the development of natural support systems within the community; and (10) assisting assigned care managers with the ongoing process of engagement and linkage.

(c) The peer engagement specialists shall be given access to initial training for their responsibilities, and periodic continuing training thereafter. Such training shall include, but not be limited to, training on advance directives that allow program participants to specify the types of mental health intervention they would accept in the event of a crisis. The peer engagement specialists shall inform all participating individuals concerning such advance directives and shall encourage the use of such advance directives by such individuals. The commissioner shall ensure that technical assistance by an independent entity that is not a provider of mental health services is made available to assist peer engagement specialists with such advance directives. The commissioner shall issue a certificate to each peer engagement specialist who is hired by the department and satisfactorily completes such training.

(d) Not later than July 1, 2000, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall appoint an advisory committee to advise the commissioner on the design and implementation of the program established under this section. The committee shall be composed of twelve members, six of whom shall be present or former consumers of mental health services, advocates for such consumers or family members of such consumers, and shall be knowledgeable concerning the concept of engaging persons who are resistant to receiving mental health services and knowledgeable concerning principles of recovery, and six of whom shall be representatives of providers of mental health services, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services or professional organizations associated with the mental health field.

(e) Not later than January 15, 2002, the Commissioner of Mental Health and Addiction Services shall submit a report containing an evaluation of the operation and effectiveness of the program established under this section to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to public health, in accordance with the provisions of § 11-4a. The report shall include, but not be limited to, (1) the findings and recommendations of the commissioner with respect to the program, which shall include the relevant clinical benchmarks for evaluating the participants and the program itself, and (2) the recommendations of the peer engagement specialists and the advisory committee with respect to the need for services.