Bill Text: NY A09591 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Authorizes and directs the department of health to develop regulations pertaining to hard of hearing hospital patients and others.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 7-4)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-05-01 - held for consideration in health [A09591 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A09591-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          9591
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 25, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M. of A. RAIA -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Health
        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation  to  authorizing  the
          health department to develop regulations pertaining to hard of hearing
          hospital patients and others
          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; persons with a hearing impairment. 1. The follow-
     4  ing definitions shall apply to this section:
     5    (a) "Hearing impairment" means a condition that has rendered a  person
     6  hard of hearing, deaf, or deaf-blind.
     7    (b) "Patient" means a person receiving health care at a hospital.
     8    (c) "Responsible person" means a parent, guardian, or person otherwise
     9  responsible for the health care decisions of a patient.
    10    2.  The  department  shall  adopt  regulations concerning patients and
    11  responsible persons who have a hearing impairment, which  shall  require
    12  at least the following:
    13    (a) Except where not medically feasible, all hospitals shall ascertain
    14  at  the  time of admission whether a patient or responsible person has a
    15  hearing impairment. If so, the hospital shall ascertain whether  or  not
    16  he  or she needs an interpreter or an assistive listening device and his
    17  or her preferred method of communication.
    18    (b) When necessary, hospitals must furnish a qualified interpreter  to
    19  ensure  effective  communication between a patient or responsible person
    20  with a hearing impairment and the patient's physician and other hospital
    21  personnel.
    22    (c) A patient or responsible person  with  a  hearing  impairment  may
    23  designate  a  person to serve as an interpreter for the purposes of this
    24  section.
    25    (d) Hospitals must make available auxiliary hearing aids and assistive
    26  listening devices, which shall include, but not be limited  to,  hearing
    27  aid-compatible  telephones, telephone handset amplifiers, and telecommu-
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD14224-01-8
        A. 9591                             2
     1  nication devices for the deaf where necessary to ensure effective commu-
     2  nication.
     3    (e)  The restraint of the hands of a patient who has a hearing impair-
     4  ment shall be minimized.
     5    (f) Procedures shall be developed to receive  and  address  grievances
     6  concerning regulations promulgated under this section.
     7    §  2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
     8  ing the date on which it shall have  become  a  law.    Any  regulations
     9  necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date shall
    10  be promulgated on or before such date.