Bill Text: NY A09019 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Relates to impact studies on tick-borne diseases; requires the department to issue a report examining the mental health impacts of tick-borne diseases and blood-borne pathogens on mental illness rates in endemic areas of the state.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Passed) 2018-12-07 - signed chap.364 [A09019 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A09019-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         9019--A
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 12, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, LUPARDO, BARRETT, BYRNE -- read once and
          referred to the Committee on Mental Health -- reported and referred to
          the Committee on Ways and Means -- committee discharged, bill amended,
          ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
        AN  ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to impact studies on
          tick-borne diseases
          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  207-a to read as follows:
     3    § 207-a. Tick-borne diseases and blood-borne  pathogen  impact  study.
     4  1.  The  department,  in  conjunction  with  the  commissioner of mental
     5  health, shall issue a report examining  the  mental  health  impacts  of
     6  tick-borne diseases and blood-borne pathogens on mental illness rates in
     7  endemic areas of the state. Such report shall include but not be limited
     8  to:
     9    (a) Considerations of how Lyme, tick-borne illnesses, and other blood-
    10  borne  pathogens  or  vector-borne  diseases  may have correlations with
    11  mental illness in infected individuals;
    12    (b) Populations at-risk including those individuals  with  occupations
    13  outdoors and/or increased exposure to vectors;
    14    (c)  Diagnostic indicators of mental illness that can be used as guid-
    15  ance for healthcare providers and mental health practitioners;
    16    (d) Historical considerations of infection rates  and  mental  illness
    17  indicators  that  may  have  gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in endemic
    18  areas; and
    19    (e) Recommendations for intervention and coordinated care for individ-
    20  uals who exhibit mental illness symptoms as well as those who have  both
    21  physical and mental health indicators.
    22    2.  Such  report  shall be submitted to the temporary president of the
    23  senate and the speaker of the assembly no later than October first,  two
    24  thousand  nineteen. The department and the commissioner of mental health
    25  may engage stakeholders in the compilation of the report, including  but
    26  not  limited  to, medical research institutions, health care practition-
    27  ers, mental health providers, county and  local  government,  and  advo-
    28  cates.
    29    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13692-04-8