Behavioral health teaching hospitals.

(1) Beginning July 1, 2025, a licensed hospital may apply to the agency for designation as a behavioral health teaching hospital by submitting a form furnished by the agency and providing documentation establishing eligibility.

(2) To be designated as a behavioral health teaching hospital, a hospital must meet all of the following criteria:

(a) Operate as a teaching hospital as defined in s. 408.07.

(b) Offer a psychiatric residency program accredited through the Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education and offer, or have filed an application for approval to establish, an accredited postdoctoral clinical psychology fellowship program.

(c) Provide behavioral health services.

(d) Establish and maintain an affiliation with a university in this state with one of the accredited Florida-based medical schools listed under s. 458.3145(1)(i)1.-6., 8., or 10., to create and maintain integrated workforce development programs for students of the university’s colleges or schools of medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, or public health related to the entire continuum of behavioral health care, including, at a minimum, screening, therapeutic and supportive services, community outpatient care, crisis stabilization, short-term residential treatment, and long-term care. Notwithstanding paragraphs (4)(b) and (c), a university may affiliate with only one hospital.

(e) Develop a plan to create and maintain integrated workforce development programs with the affiliated university’s colleges or schools and to supervise clinical care provided by students participating in such programs.

(3) A designated behavioral health teaching hospital must:

(a) Within 90 days after receiving the designation, develop and maintain a consultation agreement with the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce within the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute to establish best practices related to integrated workforce development programs for the behavioral health professions.

(b) Collaborate with the department and managing entities as defined in s. 394.9082(2) to identify gaps in the regional continuum of behavioral health care which are appropriate for the behavioral health teaching hospital to address, either independently or in collaboration with other organizations providing behavioral health services, and which will facilitate implementation of the plan developed under paragraph (2)(e).

(c) Within 90 days after receiving the designation, enter into an agreement with the department to provide state treatment facility beds when determined necessary by the department.

(d) Provide data related to the hospital’s integrated workforce development programs and the services provided by the hospital to the agency, the department, and the Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help created under s. 14.36, as determined by the agency, department, or the office.

(4) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2), within 30 days after this act becomes a law, the agency shall designate the following hospitals as behavioral health teaching hospitals:

(a) Tampa General Hospital, in affiliation with the University of South Florida.

(b) UF Health Shands Hospital, in affiliation with the University of Florida.

(c) UF Health Jacksonville, in affiliation with the University of Florida.

(d) Jackson Memorial Hospital, in affiliation with the University of Miami.

Within 90 days after receiving the designation, each behavioral health teaching hospital designated under this subsection shall submit documentation to the agency establishing compliance with the requirements of paragraphs (2)(a)-(d) and submit the plan required by paragraph (2)(e).

(5) Beginning July 1, 2025, the agency may designate additional behavioral health teaching hospitals which meet the criteria of subsection (2).

(6) Upon designating a behavioral health teaching hospital under this section, the agency shall award the hospital funds as follows:

(a) For up to 10 resident positions through the Slots for Doctors Program established in s. 409.909.

(b) Through the Training, Education, and Clinicals in Health Funding Program established in s. 409.91256 to offset a portion of the costs of maintaining integrated workforce development programs.

(7) By December 1 of each year, a designated behavioral health teaching hospital must submit a report to the agency and the department on the designated behavioral health teaching hospital program, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(a) The number of psychiatric residents.

(b) The number of postdoctoral clinical psychology fellows.

(c) The status and details of the consultation agreement with the Florida Center for Behavioral Health Workforce within the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

(d) The implementation status of the plan required by paragraph (2)(e).

(e) Activities, agreements, and accomplishments of the collaboration required by paragraph (3)(b).

(f) The number of any facility beds and patients served under paragraph (3)(c).

(8) A behavioral health teaching hospital designation is valid for 2 years. To renew the designation, a hospital must submit an application for renewal to the agency on a form established by the agency at least 90 days before the expiration of the designation. The renewal process is subject to the time periods and tolling provisions of s. 120.60. The agency may deny, revoke, or suspend a designation at any time if a behavioral health teaching hospital is not in compliance with the requirements of this section.

(9) The agency may adopt rules necessary to implement this section.