What's happening
This bill requires New York hospitals to provide medical forms and information in Punjabi upon patient request.
Why it matters
Improves access to healthcare for Punjabi-speaking patients. , ensuring they can fully understand and consent to medical procedures and information, which reduces the risk of miscommunication or errors due to language barriers.
Promotes health equity. by recognizing and accommodating the linguistic diversity in New York’s patient population, particularly in communities with significant Punjabi-speaking residents.
Places a new compliance requirement on hospitals. , which may necessitate changes in administrative processes, translation services, and staff training to ensure timely provision of translated materials when requested.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Hospital Forms in Punjabi
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Hospitals Must Offer Punjabi Forms
In Assembly Committee · Health · Sponsor Michael G. Miller
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4621
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 22, 2017
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring hospitals to provide forms in Punjabi
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2805-z to read as follows:
§ 2805-z. Forms printed in Punjabi. Every hospital shall, at a patient's request, provide any medical form or printed information which is given to a patient or required to be signed by such patient translated into Punjabi.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02771-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring hospitals to provide forms in Punjabi
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to require hospitals to provide medical forms and other printed forms that the patient may need to sign to be translated into Punjabi.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 will amend the Public Health Law will be amended to adding section 2805-z, which reads:
Subdivision 1 of the new section requires every hospital at the patient's request to provide any medical form or printed information, which is given to a patient or required to be signed by the patient translated into Punjabi.
Justification
This bill is necessary to protect and better serve residents of New York who speak Punjabi and are unable to communicate effectively in English. Punjabi is one of the three most spoken Asian-Indian languages in Queens. This bill will ensure it will ensure access to health and human services to individuals whose primary language is Punjabi.
Legislative history
2015-16: A.952 Referred to Health.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the 90th day after the bill becomes law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.