Establishes a coordinated statewide policy, investigation, and reporting requirements with respect to infections, including certain staphylococcus infections

Section 3. Adds a new Article 4 to the elder law to create the Interagency Task Force for research, services, screening, and education related to staphylococcus and other infections.

1. Its purpose is to establish a coordinated plan and policy concerning staphylococcus infections and other infections.

2. Membership on the Task Force includes the director of SOFA, the commissioner of health, and the commissioner of education.

The plan is to include: establishment of best practice standards; coordinated research; public education and intervention, and a report and recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature annually on or before March 1.

3. There is also a 21 member Advisory Committee, appointed by the members of the Task Force consisting of representatives from each sector of health care facilities and providers, schools and other institutions which provide services and programs by or under the jurisdiction of the members of the Task Force. The advisory committee is to review and comment on policy proposals and plans advanced by the Task Force.

4. The department of health is to serve as the focal point to develop comprehensive coordinated responses of the various state agencies with regard to staphylococcus and other infections and thus help to assure timely and appropriate responses to issues and problems.

5. Members of the Task Force shall require immediate notification through signage or other appropriate notification within an affected facility, notification of school personnel and parents of children in an affected school or schools, or of personnel in an affected facility serving the elderly, when where there is an occurrence of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or vancomycin resistant enterococcus (VRE).

Section 4. Adds a new subdivision 2-b to section 201 of the public health law to require the department of health to serve as the focal point to develop comprehensive coordinated responses of various state agencies with regard to staphylococcus and other infections and thus help to assure timely and appropriate responses to issues and problems. In such capacity, the department shall:

(a) require standardized reporting of such infections by source;

(b) establish guidelines, definitions, criteria, standards and coding for identification, tracking and reporting of such infections;

(c) add when the commissioner shall determine that it is feasible to do so, to the statewide database required to be established pursuant to section 2819 of this chapter of reported hospital acquired infection information, information concerning reported and collected pursuant to this subdivision and section 303 of the elder law.

Justification

This bill provides for a coordinated response to staphylococcus and other infections by the several state agencies that should be involved - aging, health, and education - to set standardized policy for dealing with serious infections that afflict the public and our most vulnerable population, children and the elderly.

Prior legislative history

2008: S.6980 - Referred to Aging, Committed to Rules

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.