Bill Text: NY S03962 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Requires hospitals to establish policies and procedures regarding domestic violence; establishes ongoing training programs on domestic violence for all current and new hospital employees; designates a hospital staff member to coordinate services to victims; provides for the interaction of hospitals with community domestic violence service providers in order to coordinate services to victims of domestic violence; requires hospitals to offer to contact a local advocate when admitting or treating a confirmed or suspected victim of domestic violence.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-12-23 - approval memo.79 [S03962 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S03962-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          3962
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    February 21, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. SALAZAR -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to hospital  domestic
          violence policies and procedures
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
     2  2805-z to read as follows:
     3    §  2805-z.  Hospital  domestic  violence  policies and procedures.  1.
     4  Every general hospital shall:  (a)  develop,  maintain  and  disseminate
     5  written  policies  and  procedures  for  the identification, assessment,
     6  treatment and referral of  confirmed  or  suspected  cases  of  domestic
     7  violence;  (b)  establish, and implement on an ongoing basis, a training
     8  program for all current and new employees  regarding  the  policies  and
     9  procedures  established  pursuant to this section; (c) designate a staff
    10  member to coordinate services to victims of domestic violence;  and  (d)
    11  contact  the domestic violence or victim assistance organization provid-
    12  ing victim assistance to the geographic area served by such hospital  to
    13  establish the coordination of services to domestic violence victims.
    14    2.  Upon  admittance  or  commencement  of treatment of a confirmed or
    15  suspected domestic violence  victim,  such  hospital  shall  advise  the
    16  victim  of  the  availability  of  the services of a battered women's or
    17  victim assistance organization.  If  after  receiving  such  advice  the
    18  domestic  violence  victim wishes the presence of a domestic violence or
    19  victim assistance advocate, such hospital shall contact the  appropriate
    20  organization and request that one be provided.
    21    3. The commissioner shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may
    22  be  necessary and proper to carry out effectively the provisions of this
    23  section.  Prior to promulgating such rules and regulations, the  commis-
    24  sioner  shall  consult  with  the  office for the prevention of domestic
    25  violence and other such persons as the commissioner deems necessary.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04595-01-9
        S. 3962                             2
     1    § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next  succeed-
     2  ing the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately,
     3  the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rules or regulations neces-
     4  sary  for the implementation of the foregoing section of this act on its
     5  effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such
     6  effective date.