Bill Text: NY A02609 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Amended

---

Bill Title: Directs the health equity council to advise the commissioner regarding sickle cell disease.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-3)

Status: (Passed) 2023-12-08 - signed chap.684 [A02609 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A02609-Amended.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                         2609--A

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 26, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  HYNDMAN,  McDONALD,  AUBRY, SAYEGH, DARLING,
          BENDETT, SLATER, NOVAKHOV, WALKER -- read once  and  referred  to  the
          Committee  on  Health  --  committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
          reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

        AN ACT to amend the public  health  law,  in  relation  to  sickle  cell
          disease detection and education

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

     1    Section 1.  Section 243 of the public health law, as amended by  chap-
     2  ter 523 of the laws of 2022, is amended by adding a new subdivision 6 to
     3  read as follows:
     4    6.  Sickle  cell disease. a. The health equity council shall consider,
     5  and advise the commissioner regarding sickle cell disease.
     6    b. The council shall issue  recommendations  to  the  commissioner  to
     7  promote screening and detection of sickle cell disease, especially among
     8  unserved  or  underserved  populations;  to educate the public regarding
     9  sickle cell disease and the benefits of early detection; and to  provide
    10  counseling  and  referral  services.  For  purposes of this subdivision,
    11  "unserved or underserved populations"  means  people  having  inadequate
    12  access  and  financial resources to obtain sickle cell disease screening
    13  and detection services, including people who  lack  health  coverage  or
    14  whose  health  coverage  is  inadequate or who cannot meet the financial
    15  requirements of their coverage for accessing detection services.
    16    c. The council shall consider the feasibility of the following:
    17    (i) the establishment of a statewide  public  education  and  outreach
    18  campaign  to  publicize  evidence  based  sickle cell disease screening,
    19  detection and education services.  The campaign shall include:   general
    20  community  education,  outreach  to  specific  underserved  populations,
    21  evidence based clinical sickle cell disease screening services,  and  an
    22  informational  summary  that  shall include an explanation of the impor-

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05973-02-3
        A. 2609--A                          2

     1  tance of clinical examinations and what to expect during clinical  exam-
     2  inations and sickle cell disease screening services;
     3    (ii) the provision of grants to approved organizations;
     4    (iii)  the  compilation  of  data  concerning  sickle cell disease and
     5  dissemination of such data to the public; and
     6    (iv) the development of health care  professional  education  programs
     7  including  the  benefits  of  early detection of sickle cell disease and
     8  clinical examinations, the recommended frequency  of  clinical  examina-
     9  tions  and  sickle  cell  disease screening services, and professionally
    10  recognized best practices guidelines.
    11    § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 207 of the public health law is  amended
    12  by adding a new paragraph (r) to read as follows:
    13    (r)  Sickle cell  disease  including  but  not  limited  to screening,
    14  prevention,  and  treatment  information.  The department,  through  the
    15  health  equity  council  pursuant  to section two hundred forty-three of
    16  this article, or a successor council, shall consult with patients   with
    17  sickle  cell  disease  and  their  families  and  health  care providers
    18  specializing  in  treating  sickle  cell  disease,  among others, in the
    19  production of any such information.
    20    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.