Bill Text: NY A04685 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Prohibits general hospitals from disallowing individuals with disabilities from having an essential support person accompany them for the duration of their hospitalization in response to a pandemic or state disaster emergency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-05-26 - substituted by s1035a [A04685 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A04685-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4685--A 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY February 4, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PHEFFER AMATO -- read once and referred to the Committee on People with Disabilities -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit- tee AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting gener- al hospitals from disallowing individuals with disabilities from having an essential support person accompany them for the duration of their hospitalization 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 2828 to read as follows: 3 § 2828. Essential support persons allowed for individuals with disa- 4 bilities during a state of emergency. 1. For purposes of this section, 5 the following terms shall have the following meanings: 6 (a) "Disability" shall mean any condition or disorder which prevents 7 or makes difficult for an individual the ability to communicate a 8 medical condition or certain specific medical or everyday needs, includ- 9 ing, but not limited to, autism or cerebral palsy. 10 (b) "Essential support person" shall mean an individual who frequently 11 accompanies and assists an individual with a disability with managing 12 and communicating basic or medical needs and is considered a critical 13 member of such individual's health care team. 14 2. (a) No general hospital shall establish any rules or regulations in 15 response to a pandemic or state disaster emergency declared by the 16 governor, prohibiting a patient who suffers from a disability from 17 having access to an essential support person for the duration of their 18 hospitalization from intake to discharge. 19 (b) An individual with a disability shall be allowed to designate a 20 single primary essential support person to assist with medical and 21 everyday needs during hospitalization and such essential support person 22 shall be limited to such individual's parent, spouse or caretaker. 23 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD06482-04-1