SENATE BILL No.
837



   October 21, 1999, Introduced by Senators JOHNSON, HAMMERSTROM and GOUGEON 
        and referred to the Committee on Families, Mental Health and Human Services.



        A bill to amend 1994 PA 203, entitled

   "Foster care and adoption services act,"

   by amending section 4c (MCL 722.954c), as added by 1997 PA 172.

               THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 1         Sec. 4c.  (1) The supervising agency shall obtain from the

 2    parent, guardian, or custodian of each child who is placed in its

 3    care the name and address of the child's medical provider and a

 4    signed document for the release of the child's medical records.

 5    The supervising agency shall require that a child's medical pro-

 6    vider remain constant while the child is in foster care, unless

 7    the child's current primary medical provider is a managed care

 8    health plan or unless doing so would create an unreasonable

 9    burden for the relative, foster parent, or other custodian.






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 1         (2) The supervising agency shall develop a medical passport

 2    for each child who comes under its care.  The medical passport

 3    shall contain all of the following:

 4         (a) All medical information required by policy or law to be

 5    provided to foster parents.

 6         (b) Basic medical history.

 7         (c) A record of all immunizations.

 8         (d) Any other information concerning the child's physical

 9    and mental health.

10         (3) Each foster care worker who transfers a child's medical

11    passport to another foster care worker shall sign and date the

12    passport, verifying that he or she has sought and obtained the

13    necessary information required under subsection (2) and any addi-

14    tional information required under department policy.  The super-

15    vising agency shall provide a copy of each medical passport and

16    updates as required by the department for maintenance in a cen-

17    tral location.

18         (4) If a child under the care of a supervising agency has

19    suffered sexual abuse, serious physical abuse, or mental illness,

20    the supervising agency shall have an experienced and licensed

21    mental health professional as defined under  MCL
             330.1100b(14)(a)

22     or (b)  SECTION 100B(15)(A) OR (B) OF THE MENTAL
                       HEALTH CODE,

23    1974 PA 258, MCL 330.1100B, or a CERTIFIED social worker certi-

24    fied under section 1606 of the occupational code, 1980 PA 299,

25    MCL 339.1606, who is trained in children's psychological assess-

26    ments perform an assessment or psychological evaluation of the

27    child.  The costs of the assessment or evaluation shall be borne



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 1    by the supervising agency.  This subsection applies only to a

 2    child who is made a state ward on or after  the effective
             date of

 3     the amendatory act that added this section  MARCH
                       31, 1998.

 4         (5) A child's supervising agency shall ensure that the child

 5    receives a medical examination when the child is first placed in

 6    foster care.  One objective of this examination is to provide a

 7    record of the child's medical and physical status upon entry into

 8    foster care.








































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