AN ACT CONCERNING ASSISTED OUTPATIENT TREATMENT FOR PERSONS WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS.

HB 6551 expands access to assisted outpatient treatment for individuals with severe mental illness by redefining "serious harm" to include inability to meet basic needs and psychiatric decline. It allows more mental health professionals (like psychiatric nurses and social workers) to conduct assessments, requires hospitals to evaluate patients for outpatient treatment before discharge, and mandates notification between facilities and community providers. The bill also establishes a flexible, least-restrictive approach to involuntary treatment and requires state training for providers on these new provisions. These changes aim to reduce repeated hospitalizations, prevent deaths, and improve community-based care while respecting patient rights.