Louisiana Revised Statutes Tit. 40, § 2162.2. Findings and purpose

(1) It is the policy of this state to ensure delivery of sufficient support services in order to successfully transition adult patients with a primary diagnosis of mental illness from inpatient psychiatric facilities to the most appropriate outpatient setting.

(2) Repeated admissions of persons to inpatient psychiatric units is a significant problem which often results in inadequate care and a failure to stabilize the patient, especially if the patient is homeless or has unstable living arrangements.

(3) Community-based residential programs are a more cost-effective form of treatment and a more appropriate treatment option for persons with mental illness than emergency room visits, unnecessary long-term stays in psychiatric hospitals, and incarceration.

(4) Licensing of community-based residential programs to operate in state-owned residential buildings presents an opportunity for adaptive and innovative use of those buildings and for optimization of state resources.

(5) Persons with a mental illness who are treated in a psychiatric facility and released without a stable transitional plan of care are at high risk for hospitalization, incarceration, and psychiatric readmission.

(6) It is a fiscal and public health priority of this state to establish a licensing component for adult community-based residential facilities which has historically been missing in the continuum of services for adults with a primary diagnosis of mental illness.