YOUTH ASSERTIVE COMMUNITY TREATMENT PROGRAM.

(a) The office may establish and maintain in Tarrant County an assertive community treatment program to provide treatment, rehabilitation, and support services to individuals in that county who:

(1) are under 18 years of age;

(2) have severe and persistent mental illness;

(3) have a history of:

(A) multiple hospitalizations;

(B) poor performance in school;

(C) placement in emergency shelters or residential treatment facilities; or

(D) chemical dependency or abuse; and

(4) have been placed on probation by a juvenile court.

(b) The program must be modeled after other assertive community treatment programs established by the Department of State Health Services. The program is limited to serving not more than 30 program participants at any time.

(c) If the office creates and maintains a program under this section, the office shall provide for the program a team of licensed or degreed professionals in the clinical treatment or rehabilitation field to administer the program. A team provided under this subsection must include:

(1) a registered nurse to provide full-time direct services to the program participants; and

(2) a psychiatrist available to the program for 10 or more hours each week.

(d) In administering the program, the program's professional team shall:

(1) provide psychiatric, substance abuse, and employment services to program participants;

(2) maintain a ratio of one or more team members for each 10 program participants to the extent practicable;

(3) be available to program participants during evening and weekend hours;

(4) meet the needs of special populations;

(5) maintain at all times availability for addressing and managing a psychiatric crisis of any program participant; and

(6) cover the geographic areas served by the program.

(e) The office and the program shall cooperate with or contract with local agencies to avoid duplication of services and to maximize federal Medicaid funding.