Ala. Admin. Code r. 580-2-20-.03 - Personnel
(1) There shall be
a full-time executive director who has overall responsibility for the operation
of the agency. The executive director shall:
(a) Have at least a master's degree in Public
Health, Business Administration, Public Administration, Psychology, Counseling,
Social Work or related field and at least five (5) years managerial experience
in a mental health or substance abuse treatment setting; or
(b) Have a Bachelor's Degree in Public
Health, Business Administration, Public Administration, Psychology, Counseling,
Social Work or related field and at least ten (10) years managerial experience
in mental health or substance abuse treatment setting.
(c) Notify MHSAS within thirty (30) days of
changes in Executive Director.
(d)
Be verified for compliance with ADMH Administrative Code by ADMH MHSAS
certification process.
(2) There shall be a full-time Clinical
Director (in addition to the Executive Director) who has full-time
responsibility for the quality of clinical care and the appropriateness of
clinical programs as delineated in the job description. The Clinical Director
shall:
(a) Have a minimum of either a
master's degree in psychology, social work, counseling, or psychiatric nursing
and have a minimum of 3 years post master's relevant clinical experience or be
a physician who has completed an approved residency in psychiatry.
(b) For agencies who provide substance abuse
treatment services, have a license or a substance abuse counselor certification
credential from the Alabama Association of Addiction Counselors, National
Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, Alabama Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Association, or International Certification and Reciprocity
Consortium/Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, Inc.
(c) Notify MHSAS within thirty (30) days of
changes in Clinical Director.
(d)
Be verified for compliance with ADMH Administrative Code by ADMH MHSAS
certification process.
(3) There shall be a Business Manager/Chief
Financial Officer or equivalent:
(a) The
financial accounting operations of a service provider organization with a total
annual budget exceeding $750,000 shall be supervised by a full-time employee or
contracted service who has the following qualifications:
1. At least a bachelor's degree in accounting
or business, finance, management, public administration, with at least three
(3) college accounting courses.
2.
At least two (2) years accounting experience.
(b) The financial accounting operations of a
service provider organization with a total annual budget less than $750,000
shall be supervised by an employee or contracted service who/which has the
following qualifications:
1. Demonstrated
familiarization with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and;
2. At least two (2) years
accounting/bookkeeping experience.
(4) An individual who met the requirements of
the Administrative Code
580-9-44-.02 Personnel effective
March 2012 or Administrative Code
580-2-9-.03 MI Program Staff July
2010 and was employed prior to the approval of these rules shall be in good
standing.
(5) In certain
situations, the Commissioner of ADMH may waive the requirements of this chapter
as necessary to serve the DMH services recipients and/or the interests of the
public.
(6)
Mental Illness Program Staff Only. The
agency shall have policies and procedures that detail the following personnel
requirements:
(a) There shall be a
psychiatrist, as a full-time or part-time employee or a consultant to the
provider who is responsible for medical aspects of consumer psychiatric care as
delineated in the job description or employment contract. Access to on-call
psychiatric services shall be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and must
be documented.
(b) There is an
organizational chart that depicts functional areas of responsibility and lines
of supervision for all programs operated by the agency.
(c) Each direct treatment service functional
area of responsibility on the organizational chart shall be coordinated by a
member of the staff who has a master's degree in a mental health related field
and at least one (1) year post master's supervised experience in a direct
service area. Program coordinators of Adult Rehabilitative Day Programs shall
have at a minimum of a bachelor's degree, or RN. Both shall have a minimum of
one (1) year supervised post degree mental health related experience.
(d) For residential services, there shall be
a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse as a full-time or part-time
employee or a consultant to the provider who is responsible for supervision of
delegation of medication assistance to the unlicensed personnel. Access to an
on-call nurse shall be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Provider will
implement policies and procedures approved by their Board of Directors
requiring full compliance with the Alabama Board of Nursing regulation
610-X-7.06 Alabama Department of Mental Health Residential Community
Programs.
(e) All treatment staff
who provide therapy and clinical assessments for mental illness consumers shall
have a master's degree in a mental health related field and have successfully
completed a mental health clinical practicum or have six (6) months
post-master's level experience in a mental health clinical field.
(f) Treatment staff who do not have a mental
health clinical practicum master's degree shall:
1. Complete an in-house practicum, receive
face-to-face (virtual or in person) supervision from a therapist who has a
master's degree in a mental health related field and at least two (2) years
post master's degree mental health experience in a direct service functional
area for six (6) months.
2.
Supervision shall include at least two (2) face-to-face supervisory sessions
per month for a minimum of one (1) hour per session.
3. Upon completion of the required clinical
practicum, an additional six (6) months of supervision is required and shall
include at least two (2) face-to-face supervisory sessions per month minimum
one (1) hour per session.
(g) The credentials of staff shall be
appropriate for the levels and types of services they are providing. The
following are approved minimum qualifications:
1. Mental Health Rehabilitative Services
Professional who meets one (1) of the following:
(i) A psychologist licensed under Alabama
law.
(ii) A professional counselor
licensed under Alabama law.
(iii)
An independent clinical social worker licensed under Alabama law.
(iv) A marriage and family therapist licensed
under Alabama law.
(v) A registered
nurse licensed under Alabama law who has completed a master's degree in
psychiatric nursing.
(vi) A Masters
Level Clinician is an individual possessing a master's degree or above from a
university or college with an accredited program for the respective degree in
psychology, social work, counseling, or other mental health human service field
areas who meets at least one (1) of the following qualifications:
(I) Has successfully completed a clinical
practicum as a part of the requirement for the degree OR
(II) Has six (6) months of post master's
level clinical experience supervised by a master's level or above clinician
with two years of postgraduate clinical experience.
2. A physician licensed under
Alabama law to practice medicine or osteopathy.
3. A physician assistant licensed under
Alabama law and practicing within the guidelines as outlined by the Alabama
Board of Medical Examiners.
4. A
Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) licensed under Alabama law
practicing within the scope as defined by the Joint Committee of the Alabama
Board of Nursing and the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners for Advanced
Practice Nurses.
5. A pharmacist
licensed under Alabama state law may provide medication monitoring.
6. A Registered Nurse licensed under Alabama
state law.
7. A Practical Nurse
licensed under Alabama state law.
8. Qualified Mental Health Provider -
Bachelor's - A person with a bachelor's degree in a mental health human
services field.
9. Qualified Mental
Health Provider- Non-Degreed - A person with a high school diploma or GED
supervised by a Rehabilitative Services Professional.
10. A Nursing Assistant certified pursuant to
Alabama State Law.
11. Medication
Assistant Certified (MAC) Worker - A person working under a Medication
Assistance Supervising (MAS) nurse that meets the Alabama Board of Nursing
requirements.
12. A Certified
Mental Health Youth Peer Specialist -Youth who has personal verified lived
experience with children and adolescents.
(h) Staff who provide services primarily to
recipients who are deaf/hard of hearing shall have either two (2) years
supervised experience with the specific subgroup, or two (2) specialized
graduate courses related specifically to the subgroup or twelve (12) continuing
education credits of training in the specialty area to work with this subgroup
or shall receive supervision by a staff member with the required training/
experience.
(i) Staff who provide
treatment and clinical services primarily to children and adolescents shall
have one (1) year experience working with children and adolescents and shall
receive ten (10) hours of specialized training to be completed within one (1)
year form the date they began providing such services.
(j) Teachers who provide educational service
to children shall meet the requirements outlined by the Alabama State
Department of Education.
(k) All
staff positions who are required to complete an ADMH certification training
program will be outlined under their targeted service area.
(l) All staff who transport consumers shall
have a valid driver's license.
(m)
Documentation of all required supervision shall include the following
information for each supervisory session:
1.
Name and signature of supervisor.
2. Name and signature of employee.
3. Date of supervision.
4. Amount of time in supervisory
session.
5. Brief description of
topics covered in session.
(n) The agency shall conduct criminal
background checks on all employees/volunteers/agents prior to employment/
engagement.
(o) Students who are
completing a graduate degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or
psychiatric nursing may be used for direct services under the following
conditions:
1. The student is in a clinical
practicum or internship that is part of an officially sanctioned academic
curriculum.
2. The student receives
a minimum of one (1) hour per week direct clinical supervision (face-to-face)
from a mental health professional having at least two (2) years post master's
experience in a direct mental health service functional area.
3. The student's clinical notes shall be
cosigned by the agency's supervisor who directly supervises the
student.
(p) All
employees/staff having direct service contact with recipients shall be trained
in the following prior to working alone with recipients:
1. Management of aggressive/assaultive
behavior and
2. Crisis intervention
techniques.
3. The training must
have been within the past two (2) years.
(q) All unlicensed staff who have direct
service contact with recipients shall receive initial training on the following
topics:
1. Diagnostic categories.
2. Classes of psychotropic
medications.
3. Recovery
orientation.
4. Interaction with
consumers and families.
(r) Each program provides training for all
staff on abuse and neglect and all state laws pertaining to abuse and neglect
including reporting required by the Department of Human Resources. Training is
required for all new employees within thirty (30) days for non-direct care
staff. For direct care staff, training is required prior to working alone with
recipients and on an annual basis thereafter.
Notes
Author: Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, DMH
Statutory Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, ยง 22-50-11.
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