Bill Text: NY S00879 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires the department of health of the state of New York to conduct a study of the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on infant mortality and prepare and submit a report to the governor and the legislature.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2021-02-16 - SIGNED CHAP.46 [S00879 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S00879-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           879

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                       (Prefiled)

                                     January 6, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. BENJAMIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to require the department of health of the state of New  York  to
          conduct  a  study  of  the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on
          infant mortality and prepare and submit a report to the  governor  and
          the legislature; and to repeal section 2500-l of the public health law
          relating thereto

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

     1    Section 1. Section 2500-l of the public health  law,  as  added  by  a
     2  chapter  of  the laws of 2020 amending the public health law relating to
     3  requiring the department of health of the state of New York to conduct a
     4  study of the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on infant  mortal-
     5  ity and prepare and submit a report to the governor and the legislature,
     6  as  proposed  in  legislative  bills  numbers  S.6662  and  A.6987-A, is
     7  REPEALED.
     8    § 2. Study of the effects of racial and ethnic disparities  on  infant
     9  mortality.  1.  The  department  of  health shall conduct a study on the
    10  effects of racial  and  ethnic  disparities  on  infant  mortality.  The
    11  purpose of the study shall be to:
    12    (a)  identify  statewide  and  regional  infant  death  rates, trends,
    13  patterns, and racial and ethnic disparities in adverse  birth  outcomes;
    14  and
    15    (b)  provided that the department shall use its best efforts, identify
    16  medical, non-medical, and system-related factors that may have  contrib-
    17  uted  to infant deaths and treatment disparities to the extent practica-
    18  ble; and
    19    (c) review the extent to which racial and ethnic disparities in infant
    20  mortality in a geographic area indicate the need to increase  access  to
    21  health care services in that area; and

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD07168-01-1
        S. 879                              2

     1    (d) identify ways to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities
     2  that contribute to infant mortality.
     3    2.  In  conducting  the  study,  the department of health may seek the
     4  advice of persons specializing in the fields of neonatal and post neona-
     5  tal pathology, maternal and infant health, minority health advocacy,  or
     6  other related fields.
     7    3.  Within  eighteen  months after the effective date of this section,
     8  the department of health shall prepare and submit to the  governor,  the
     9  temporary  president  of  the  senate,  the speaker of the assembly, the
    10  minority leader of the senate and the minority leader of the assembly  a
    11  report  containing the study's findings concerning the effects of racial
    12  and ethnic disparities  on  infant  mortality  and  recommendations  for
    13  legislative or other actions that can be undertaken to:
    14    (a) reduce infant mortality and improve birth outcomes in the state;
    15    (b)  reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities that contribute
    16  to infant mortality; and
    17    (c) increase access to health care services in the state.
    18    4. The department of health may prepare and submit additional  reports
    19  when  the  department  deems  it  appropriate, and each report, with the
    20  exception of the first report prepared under this section,  shall  addi-
    21  tionally identify the extent to which the department's prior recommenda-
    22  tions  have  been  successfully implemented in practice and the apparent
    23  impact that the implementation of such recommended changes  has  had  on
    24  infant mortality in the preceding years.
    25    §  3.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
    26  manner as a chapter of the laws of 2020 amending the public  health  law
    27  relating  to requiring the department of health of the state of New York
    28  to conduct a study of the effects of racial and  ethnic  disparities  on
    29  infant mortality and prepare and submit a report to the governor and the
    30  legislature,  as  proposed  in  legislative  bills  numbers  S.6662  and
    31  A.6987-A, takes effect.