What's happening
This bill requires all general hospitals in New York to establish community advisory boards and make related information public online.
Why it matters
Increased Community Voice. By requiring all general hospitals to establish community advisory boards composed of local representatives, the bill gives patients, residents, and community stakeholders a formal channel to influence hospital policies, priorities, and planning—potentially making hospitals more responsive to local health needs and concerns.
Transparency and Accountability. Hospitals are now required to publicly post key documents—including their mission statement, annual implementation reports, and up-to-date advisory board member lists—both on their own websites and the Department of Health’s, making it easier for the public to access information about hospital commitments and community engagement.
Regular Review and Public Reporting. The law mandates ongoing collaboration between hospital leadership and advisory boards for reviewing and updating hospital mission statements, assessing performance, and preparing public reports on how the hospital is meeting community healthcare needs, charity care, and access for underserved populations, which could drive continuous improvement.
Inclusivity and Accessibility. The legislation removes barriers to participation by allowing state and local government employees to serve on advisory boards without risking their jobs, and by providing expense reimbursements for board members, it encourages a wider range of community members to participate, not just those with the means to volunteer for free.
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Who cares
General hospital governing bodies
Every general hospital would have to establish a community advisory board and work with it on mission statements, community needs reviews and annual implementation reports.
Hospital community representatives
They would serve on boards advising hospitals on plans and programs, without compensation but with reimbursement allowed for necessary expenses.
New York State Department of Health
The department would have to publish hospital mission statements, implementation reports, periodic reports and advisory board membership lists on its website.
New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation
Its existing hospital advisory boards would fulfill the new requirement, while the corporation would have to file updated membership lists and the bill would remove the $25 monthly cap on members’ necessary expense reimbursements.
Headline styles
Hospitals Must Have Community Boards
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to health
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.1105
- 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.
Require Hospital Community Boards
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1856
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 16, 2019
Introduced by Sens. HOYLMAN, SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law and the New York city health and hospitals corporation act, in relation to hospital community advisory boards
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 2803-l of the public health law, as amended by chapter 639 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read as follows:
§ 2803-l. Community service plans and community advisory boards. 1. The governing body of a [voluntary non-profit] general hospital, in cooperation with the hospital's community advisory board established under this section, must issue an organizational mission statement identifying at a minimum the populations and communities served by the hospital and the hospital's commitment to meeting the health care needs of the community.
2. The governing body, in cooperation with the hospital's community advisory board established under this section must at least every three years:
(i) review and amend as necessary the hospital mission statement;
(ii) solicit the views of the communities served by the hospital on such issues as the hospital's performance and service priorities;
(iii) demonstrate the hospital's operational and financial commitment to meeting community health care needs, to provide charity care services and to improve access to health care services by the underserved; and
(iv) prepare and make available to the public a statement showing on a combined basis a summary of the financial resources of the hospital and related corporations and the allocation of available resources to hospital purposes including the provision of free or reduced charge services.
3. The governing body, in cooperation with the hospital's community advisory board, must at least annually prepare and make available to the
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03360-01-9
S. 1856 2
public an implementation report regarding the hospital's performance in meeting the health care needs of the community, providing charity care services, and improving access to health care services by the underserved.
4. The governing body shall file with the commissioner its mission statement, its annual implementation report, and at least every three years a report detailing amendments to the statement and reflecting changes in the hospital's operational and financial commitment to meeting the health care needs of the community, providing charity care services, and improving access to health care services by the underserved. Each of these documents shall be made available to the public by the hospital on its website and by the department on its website.
5. (i) Every general hospital shall establish a community advisory board to consider and advise the hospital upon matters concerning the development of any plans or programs of the hospital, and may establish rules and regulations with respect to the community advisory board.
(ii) The members of the community advisory board shall be representatives of the community served by the hospital. The hospital shall file with the commissioner, and from time to time update, an up-to-date list of the members of the hospital's community advisory board, which shall be made available to the public by the hospital on its website and shall be made available to the public by the department on its website.
(iii) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, general, special or local, no officer or employee of the state or of any civil division thereof, shall be deemed to have forfeited or shall forfeit his office or employment by reason of his acceptance of membership on the community advisory board. No member of the community advisory board shall receive compensation or allowance for services rendered on the community advisory board, except, however, that members of community advisory boards may be reimbursed by the hospital for necessary expenses incurred in relation to service on the community advisory board.
§ 2. Subdivision 11 of section 4 of section 1 of chapter 1016 of the laws of 1969, enacting the New York city health and hospitals corporation act, as amended by chapter 116 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
11. (i) The corporation shall establish a community advisory board for each of its hospitals to consider and advise the corporation and the hospital upon matters concerning the development of any plans or programs of the corporation, and may establish rules and regulations with respect to such boards.
(ii) The members of such advisory boards shall be representatives of the community served by the hospital. The corporation shall file with the commissioner, and from time to time update, an up-to-date list of the members of each hospital's community advisory board, which shall be made available to the public by the hospital on its website and by the department of health on its website.
(iii) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, general, special or local, no officer or employee of the state or of any civil division thereof, shall be deemed to have forfeited or shall forfeit his office or employment by reason of his acceptance of membership on such community advisory board. No member of such board shall receive compensation or allowance for services rendered on such board, except, however, that members of community advisory boards may be reimbursed for necessary expenses [up to and including twenty-five dollars] during a calendar month by submitting a personal summary voucher. Each community advisory board established under this subdivision shall serve as the
S. 1856 3
community advisory board for the respective hospital under section 2803-1 of the public health law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect two hundred seventy days after it shall have become a law. However, prior to that date, the commissioner of health and each general hospital shall take actions reasonably necessary to implement this act on that date.
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 and the New York city health and hospitals corporation act, in relation to hospital community advisory boards
Purpose or general idea of bill
To require every general hospital to have a community advisory board and community service plan.
Summary of specific provisions
Sec. 1 amends PHL § 2803-1 to: extend the current requirement that "voluntary non-profit" hospitals have a community service plan to apply to every general hospital, including public hospitals and for-profit hospitals; require hospitals to involve its community advisory board in the preparation of its community service plan; and require every hospi- tal to have a community advisory board (CAB), similar to the current requirement for New York City public hospitals.
Sec. 2 amends the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Act (Chapter 1016 of the laws of 1969) to require that HHC hospital CAB membership lists be filed with the State Department of Health (as the bill requires for other hospital CABs), and to delete the outdated $25 limit on expense reimbursement for CAB members.
Sec. 3 provides for an effective date 270 days after enactment.
Justification
General hospitals are vitally important institutions for communities and should be responsive to community needs, whether they are non-profit, for profit, or public institutions. Virtually every non-public hospital is heavily dependent on public funding. With public licensure and public funding comes an obligation to serve the public. Public regulations, financial incentives, and, in the case of public hospitals, public ownership can only go so far in making sure hospitals are mindful of and serve community needs. New York State wisely requires voluntary non-pro- fit hospitals to periodically adopt and update a community service plan. It is appropriate for every hospital to follow this model. New York City's public hospitals are required by state law to have community advisory boards. All hospitals and communities would benefit from having a community advisory board.
Prior legislative history
S.576 of 2017-2018 (Hoylman): Died in Health
A.2379 of 2017-2018 (Gottfried): Died in Third Reading Calendar
S.42 of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Health
A.376 of 2015-2016 (Gottfried): Advanced to Third Reading Calendar
S.4817 of 2013-2014 (Hoylman): Died in Health A.4525 of 2013-2014 (Gottfried): Passed Assembly
Fiscal implications
Minimal. Community advisory board members would not be paid, but may be reimbursed by the hospital for their expenses.
Effective date
270 days after it becomes a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.