What's happening
This bill allows qualified nurse practitioners to admit patients voluntarily to inpatient mental health units in New York.
Why it matters
Expands access to mental health care. By allowing qualified nurse practitioners with psychiatric certification to admit patients, the bill helps address shortages of psychiatrists and speeds up access to inpatient mental health services.
Recognizes advanced nursing expertise. The legislation formally acknowledges the capability of psychiatric nurse practitioners to evaluate and confirm mental illness requiring inpatient care, reflecting their specialized training and experience.
May reduce bottlenecks in hospital admissions. Enabling nurse practitioners to conduct necessary evaluations could decrease wait times for voluntary and informal psychiatric admissions, benefiting patients needing timely intervention.
Potentially improves rural and underserved care. In areas where psychiatrists are scarce, nurse practitioners could fill critical gaps, ensuring more equitable access to mental health hospitalization across New York.
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Who cares
Psychiatric nurse practitioners
The bill would authorize licensed nurse practitioners certified in psychiatry to perform any required examination and confirmation of mental illness for voluntary or informal hospital admission.
Hospital directors and inpatient mental health units
The bill would allow them to use either a physician or a qualified psychiatric nurse practitioner for these admission evaluations.
People seeking inpatient mental health care
The bill would allow a qualified psychiatric nurse practitioner to evaluate whether hospital care and treatment are appropriate when they seek voluntary or informal admission.
Headline styles
Let Nurses Admit Mental Patients
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to higher education
- Referred to higher education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2820
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 25, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. ORTIZ, GOTTFRIED, COLTON, JOYNER, BICHOTTE -read once and referred to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to authorizing nurse practitioners to admit a patient to an inpatient mental health unit on a voluntary basis
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 9.01 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new ninth undesignated paragraph to read as follows:
"qualified nurse practitioner" means an individual licensed pursuant to article one hundred thirty-nine of the education law and certified as a nurse practitioner pursuant to section sixty-nine hundred two of the education law with a certificate in the specialty of psychiatry.
§ 2. Subdivision (a) of section 9.13 of the mental hygiene law, as amended by chapter 465 of the laws of 1992, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The director of any hospital may receive as a voluntary patient any suitable person in need of care and treatment, who voluntarily makes written application therefor. To the extent that such written application requires an examination of the patient and confirmation that the patient has a mental illness for which care and treatment in a mental hospital is appropriate, such evaluation and confirmation shall be made by either a physician or a qualified nurse practitioner. If the person is under sixteen years of age, the person may be received as a voluntary patient only on the application of the parent, legal guardian, or nextof-kin of such person, or, subject to the terms of any court order or any instrument executed pursuant to section three hundred eighty-four-a of the social services law, a social services official or authorized agency with care and custody of such person pursuant to the social services law, the director of the division for youth, acting in accordance with section five hundred nine of the executive law, or a person or
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07536-01-9
A. 2820 2
entity having custody of the person pursuant to an order issued pursuant to section seven hundred fifty-six or one thousand fifty-five of the family court act. If the person is over sixteen and under eighteen years of age, the director may, in his discretion, admit such person either as a voluntary patient on his own application or on the application of the person's parent, legal guardian, next-of-kin, or, subject to the terms of any court order or any instrument executed pursuant to section three hundred eighty-four-a of the social services law, a social services official or authorized agency with care and custody of such person pursuant to the social services law, the director of the division for youth, acting in accordance with section five hundred nine of the executive law, provided that such person knowingly and voluntarily consented to such application in accordance with such section, or a person or entity having custody of the person pursuant to an order issued pursuant to section seven hundred fifty-six or one thousand fifty-five of the family court act.
§ 3. Section 9.15 of the mental hygiene law, as renumbered by chapter 978 of the laws of 1977, is amended to read as follows: § 9.15 Informal admissions.
The director of any hospital approved by the commissioner for such purpose may receive therein as an informal patient any suitable person in need of care and treatment requesting admission thereto. Such person may be admitted as a patient without making formal or written application therefor and any such patient shall be free to leave such hospital at any time after such admission. To the extent that such admission requires an examination of the patient and confirmation that the patient has a mental illness for which care and treatment in a mental hospital is appropriate, such evaluation and confirmation shall be made by either a physician or a qualified nurse practitioner.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.