Bill Text: NY A10393 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the compassionate helper volunteer program to implement a system by which eligible volunteers may provide free non-medical, quality of life services in hospitals to individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and to their families.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-05-04 - referred to health [A10393 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-A10393-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10393

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       May 4, 2020
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. LENTOL, FERNANDEZ, EICHENSTEIN, STERN, ORTIZ,
          JACOBSON, GALEF, McDONALD, D'URSO, ABINANTI, DINOWITZ, MOSLEY, THIELE,
          ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health

        AN ACT to establish the compassionate helper volunteer program

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

     1    Section  1.  Compassionate Helper Volunteer Program. 1. The department
     2  of health, in cooperation with the city of New York department of health
     3  and mental hygiene and local county departments of health, shall  estab-
     4  lish  a  compassionate helper volunteer program to implement a system by
     5  which eligible volunteers may provide free non-medical, quality of  life
     6  services  in  hospitals to individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and to
     7  their families.
     8    2. The commissioner of health is authorized and directed to promulgate
     9  such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the  provisions
    10  of this act.  Such rules and regulations shall:
    11    (a) qualify individuals to participate in the volunteer program pursu-
    12  ant to subdivision three of this section;
    13    (b)  enable the compassionate helper volunteer program to provide free
    14  non-medical, quality of life services to individuals  hospitalized  with
    15  COVID-19 and to their families including but not limited to:
    16    (i)  providing  support  to  hospitalized  patients including reading,
    17  playing music or sitting with such hospitalized individuals; and
    18    (ii) assisting hospitalized individuals with non-medical contact  with
    19  families and friends including by mobile telephone or portable electron-
    20  ic device; and
    21    (c)  authorize  hospitals that participate in the volunteer program to
    22  select and/or terminate all volunteers serving at such hospital.
    23    3. A person is eligible to participate as a volunteer under  this  act
    24  if he or she:
    25    (a) has been tested by the state or local department of health and has
    26  been found to have the antibodies to COVID-19;
    27    (b) has agreed to participate in the volunteer program without compen-
    28  sation or the expectation of compensation;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16255-01-0
        A. 10393                            2

     1    (c)  has  received  training  from  the state or a local department of
     2  health to provide volunteer program services; and
     3    (d)  meets  any  other qualifications established by the department of
     4  health.
     5    4. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law to the  contrary,
     6  the commissioner of health is authorized to waive, modify or suspend the
     7  provisions  of  rules  and  regulations  promulgated pursuant to article
     8  twenty-eight of the public health law if  such  commissioner  determines
     9  that  such  waiver,  modification  or  suspension  is  necessary for the
    10  successful implementing of the compassionate  helper  volunteer  program
    11  authorized  pursuant  to  this  act  and provided that such commissioner
    12  determines that the health, safety and general welfare of people receiv-
    13  ing services under such volunteer program will  not  be  impaired  as  a
    14  result of such waiver, modification or suspension.
    15    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.