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

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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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-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          9019
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 12, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Mental Health
        AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to impact studies on
          infectious diseases
          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  7.48 to read as follows:
     3  § 7.48 Infectious disease and blood-borne pathogen impact study.
     4    (a) The office, in conjunction with the commissioner of health,  shall
     5  issue  a  report  examining  the  mental  health  impacts  of infectious
     6  diseases and blood-borne pathogens on mental illness  rates  in  endemic
     7  areas of the state. Such report shall include but not be limited to:
     8    (1) Considerations of how Lyme, tick-borne illnesses, and other blood-
     9  borne  pathogens  or  vector-borne  diseases  may have correlations with
    10  mental illness in infected individuals;
    11    (2) Populations at-risk including those individuals  with  occupations
    12  outdoors and/or increased exposure to vectors;
    13    (3)  Diagnostic indicators of mental illness that can be used as guid-
    14  ance for healthcare providers and mental health practitioners;
    15    (4) Historical considerations of infection rates  and  mental  illness
    16  indicators  that  may  have  gone undiagnosed or misdiagnosed in endemic
    17  areas; and
    18    (5) Recommendations for intervention and coordinated care for individ-
    19  uals who exhibit mental illness symptoms as well as those who have  both
    20  physical and mental health indicators.
    21    (b)  Such  report shall be submitted to the temporary president of the
    22  senate and the speaker of the assembly no later than October first,  two
    23  thousand  nineteen. The office and the commissioner of health may engage
    24  stakeholders in the compilation of the report, including but not limited
    25  to, medical research institutions,  health  care  practitioners,  mental
    26  health providers, county and local government, and advocates.
    27    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13692-03-7