Bill Text: NY S07424 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Imposes a duty to protect upon mental health practitioners; requires reasonable efforts to modify aspects of treatment in order to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm, initiating procedures for hospitalization, notifying the intended victim or victims, or notifying law enforcement officials when a person directly communicates a threat of serious, imminent harm to self or against a readily identifiable person or persons, and the threat includes both a serious intent to act and the ability to carry out the threat; does not require a mental health practitioner to take any action which, in the exercise of reasonable professional judgment, would endanger such mental health practitioner or increase the danger to a potential victim or victims.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-04-29 - REFERRED TO MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES [S07424 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-S07424-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7424 IN SENATE April 29, 2016 ___________ Introduced by Sen. CARLUCCI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health and Develop- mental Disabilities AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to imposing a duty to protect upon mental health practitioners The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 9.42 to read as follows: 3 § 9.42 Efforts by mental health practitioners to reduce or eliminate 4 risks of harm. 5 (a) For purposes of this section, the term "mental health practition- 6 er" shall include any New York state licensed mental health practition- 7 er, including physicians, psychologists, registered psychiatric nurses 8 and nurse practitioners, and licensed clinical social workers. 9 (b) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, when a person to 10 whom a mental health practitioner is currently providing treatment 11 directly communicates a threat of serious, imminent harm to self or 12 against a readily identifiable person or persons, and the threat 13 includes both a serious intent to act and the ability to carry out the 14 threat, the mental health practitioner shall be required to make timely 15 and reasonable efforts to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm. For 16 purposes of this section, reasonable efforts may include, but are not 17 limited to: modifying aspects of the treatment in order to reduce or 18 eliminate the risk of harm; initiating procedures for hospitalization; 19 notifying the intended victim or victims; or notifying law enforcement 20 officials. 21 (c) Whenever a mental health practitioner is required to make timely 22 and reasonable efforts pursuant to subdivision (b) of this section, he 23 or she shall also comply with the provisions of section 9.46 of this 24 article. 25 (d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require a mental 26 health practitioner to take any action which, in the exercise of reason- EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD14029-01-6S. 7424 2 1 able professional judgment, would endanger such mental health practi- 2 tioner or increase the danger to a potential victim or victims. 3 (e) The decision of a mental health practitioner to disclose or not to 4 disclose the patient's or client's confidential treatment information to 5 others in accordance with this section, when made reasonably and in good 6 faith, shall not be the basis for any civil or criminal liability of 7 such mental health practitioner, including liability pursuant to unpro- 8 fessional conduct as described in the rules of the board of regents of 9 New York state, part 29. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.