Bill Text: NY A09536 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Enacts "Stephen's law"; requires certified treatment programs to notify patients of their right to name an emergency contact.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2020-11-11 - SIGNED CHAP.270 [A09536 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A09536-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          9536

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 24, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. McDONALD -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

        AN  ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to requiring certi-
          fied treatment programs to notify patients of their right to  name  an
          emergency contact

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and  may  be  cited  as  "Stephen's
     2  law".
     3    § 2. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 32.17-a
     4  to read as follows:
     5  § 32.17-a Notification of emergency contact.
     6    Every  certified treatment program shall notify every patient of their
     7  right to identify individuals who should be contacted in case  of  emer-
     8  gency, as such term is defined by the commissioner.
     9    §  3.  The  office  of  addiction  services and supports shall develop
    10  guidelines to  encourage  certified  treatment  programs  to  work  with
    11  patients  to  identify individuals who can assist in their treatment and
    12  recovery, and to identify those individuals who can serve as an emergen-
    13  cy contact person  for  such  patient.  Such  guidelines  shall  provide
    14  instruction to certified treatment programs regarding recommended proto-
    15  cols for communicating with emergency contacts.
    16    § 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    17  it  shall  have  become a law. Effective immediately, the development of
    18  guidelines necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective
    19  date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.



         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05434-10-0
feedback