An Act To Strengthen Brain Injury Resources for Underserved Populations, Including Opioid Overdose Brain Injury Survivors

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3088-A  is enacted to read:

§ 3088-A.  Support for underserved populations

Within the limits of its available resources, the department may enter into contracts with organizations representing individuals with a brain injury and their families, bringing together state and national expertise to provide core brain injury support for underserved populations of individuals with an acquired brain injury, including, but not limited to, individuals who experienced an opioid drug overdose resulting in anoxic or hypoxic brain injury, who are veterans, who are experiencing homelessness, who are ineligible for MaineCare and who have a newly acquired brain injury. For the purposes of this section, "core brain injury support" includes, but is not limited to, resource facilitation, brain injury support groups, outreach designed for individuals who have a newly acquired brain injury, access to a joint state and national helpline, information and resource education and family caregiver training. The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

summary

This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to enter into contracts with organizations representing individuals with a brain injury and their families, bringing together state and national expertise to provide core brain injury support for underserved populations of individuals with an acquired brain injury.