§ 207-a. Tick-borne diseases and blood-borne pathogen impact study. 1.
The department, in conjunction with the commissioner of mental health,
shall issue a report examining the mental health impacts of tick-borne
diseases and blood-borne pathogens on mental illness rates in endemic
areas of the state. Such report shall include but not be limited to:

(a) Considerations of how Lyme, tick-borne illnesses, and other
blood-borne pathogens or vector-borne diseases may have correlations
with mental illness in infected individuals;

(b) Populations at-risk including those individuals with occupations
outdoors and/or increased exposure to vectors;

(c) Diagnostic indicators of mental illness that can be used as
guidance for healthcare providers and mental health practitioners;

(d) Historical considerations of infection rates and mental illness
indicators that may have gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in endemic
areas; and

(e) Recommendations for intervention and coordinated care for
individuals who exhibit mental illness symptoms as well as those who
have both physical and mental health indicators.

2. Such report shall be submitted to the temporary president of the
senate and the speaker of the assembly no later than October first, two
thousand twenty-two. The department and the commissioner of mental
health may engage stakeholders in the compilation of the report,
including but not limited to, medical research institutions, health care
practitioners, mental health providers, county and local government, and
advocates.