What's happening
This bill requires New York City to fund at least two acute care or emergency room facilities in separate hospitals in each borough and mandates borough representation on the health and hospitals corporation board.
Why it matters
Mandating at least two acute care or emergency rooms in separate hospitals per borough could help address disparities in healthcare access. , particularly in underserved areas of New York City where hospital closures have reduced emergency care options.
Requiring borough representation on the health and hospitals corporation board ensures all five boroughs have a direct voice in city hospital decisions. , which may lead to better alignment of services with the specific needs and challenges of each community.
Guaranteed city funding for acute and emergency care facilities could improve response times and outcomes during medical emergencies, public health crises, or natural disasters. , strengthening the city’s overall healthcare infrastructure.
By embedding these requirements in law, the city would be legally obligated to maintain a minimum standard of emergency healthcare presence in each borough. , making it more difficult for future administrations to reduce hospital services without legislative changes.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Fund More Emergency Rooms
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
- Referred to corporations, authorities and commissions
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.
Fund More ERs in Boroughs
In Assembly Committee · Corporations, Authorities And Commissions · Sponsor Michael Cusick
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3266
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 5, 2019
Introduced by Sen. LANZA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
AN ACT to amend the New York city health and hospitals corporation act, in relation to the financing of acute care or emergency room facilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 6 of section 1 of chapter 1016 of the laws of 1969, constituting the New York city health and hospitals corporation act, is amended by adding a new subdivision 8 to read as follows:
8. The corporation shall finance the operation of at least two acute care or emergency room facilities which are located in two separate hospitals in each borough within the city.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 4 of section 1 of chapter 1016 of the laws of 1969, constituting the New York city health and hospitals corporation act, is amended to read as follows:
1. A corporation, to be known as the "New York city health and hospitals corporation," is hereby created. Such corporation shall be a body corporate and politic constituting a public benefit corporation. It shall be administered by a board of directors consisting of sixteen members, constituted as follows: five directors shall be the administrator, the commissioner appointed by the mayor as chief administrative officer of the health functions of the administration, the director of community mental health services of the administration, the administrator of human resources of the city, and the deputy mayor-city administrator of the city, or their successors, all serving ex-officio; ten directors shall be appointed by the mayor, five of whom shall be designated by the city council of the city of New York and shall include a representative from each of the five boroughs; and the remaining director shall be the chief executive officer of the corporation. Such chief
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00192-01-9
S. 3266 2
executive officer shall be chosen by the aforementioned fifteen directors from persons other than themselves and shall serve at the pleasure of the board. The terms of the ten directors first appointed by the mayor, other than those serving ex-officio shall be as follows:
Two shall serve for terms of one year each, one of whom shall have been designated by the city council;
Two shall serve for terms of two years each, one of whom shall have been designated by the city council;
Two shall serve for terms of three years each, one of whom shall have been designated by the city council;
Two shall serve for terms of four years each, one of whom shall have been designated by the city council;
Two shall serve for terms of five years each, one of whom shall have been designated by the city council; thereafter their successors shall serve for terms of five years each. The mayor shall fill any vacancy which may occur by reason of death, resignation or otherwise in a manner consistent with the original appointment. Directors may be removed by the mayor for cause, but not without an opportunity to be heard.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the New York city health and hospitals corporation act, in relation to the financing of acute care or emergency room facilities
Purpose or general idea of bill
To provide for the financing of emergency room facilities in two hospi- tals in each borough by the New York City Health and Hospitals Corpo- ration.
Summary of specific provisions
This legislation amends Section 6 of § 1 of Chapter 1016 of the Laws of 1969 - the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation Act - by adding a new subdivision 8 to provide that the corporation shall finance the operation of at least two acute care or emergency room facilities which are located in two separate hospitals in each borough within the city.
Read the full memo (660 words)
Existing law
THE NEW YORK CITY HEALTH AND HOSPITALS CORPORATION ACT WAS CREATED BY CHAPTER 1016 OF THE LAWS OF 1969.
Justification
The New York City health and hospitals corporation act was adopted in 1959 and declared that "the provision and delivery of comprehensive care and treatment of the ill and infirm, both physical and mental, are of vital and paramount concern and essential to the protection and promotion of the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the State of New York and the City of New York." It further provided that the New York City health and hospital corporation should be created to provide such health and medical services and health facilities. That corporation currently has at least 20 facilities under its jurisdiction including: Kings County Hospital, Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center, and Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn; Harlem Hospital Center and Metropolitan Hospital Center in Manhattan: Jacobi Medical Center and North Central Bronx Hospital in the Bronx; as well as Elmhurst Hospital Center and Queens Hospital in Queens.
Staten Island is a borough of nearly 12 million people without a single NYC HHC hospital to meet the needs of the residents, as proclaimed by the intent of the New York City Health and Hospital Corporation act. The private facilities on Staten Island cannot handle the burgeoning popu- lation on Staten Island without additional resources.
This legislation requires the City of New York to accept the responsi- bility it was charged with more than 35 years ago and has neglected to date: the are and treatment of the ill and infirm on Staten Island. It will require the city to provide funding for at least two hospital emer- gency rooms in each borough. The bill requires the City to merely provide the funding so that the City could pay the existing hospitals on Staten Island to help expand their emergency rooms to meet the needs of the people. It does not require the HHC to build two hospitals. The legislation also mandates that at least one of the members of the health and hospitals corporation reside in each borough. While that is the current makeup of the Board, there is nothing currently in place to mandate such a common sense requirement.
Prior legislative history
2018: S.2615 - Third Reading Calendar / A.3550 - Referred to Ways & Means 2017: S.2615 - Passed Senate / A.3550 - Referred to Corporations 2016: S.3222 - Passed Senate / A.5221 - Reported to Ways & Means 2015: S.3322 - 3rd Reading Calendar / A.5221 - Reported to Ways & Means 2014: S.2481 - Referred to Cities / A.135 Referred to Ways and Means 2013: S.2481 - Referred to Cities / A.135 Referred to Ways and Means 2012: S.7166 - Referred to Cities /- Reported to Ways and Means 2011: A.62 - Referred to Corporations 2010: S.2481 - Referred to Cities/ A.135 Referred to Ways and Means 2009: S.2481 - Referred to Cities/ A.135 Referred to Corporations 2008: S.3033 - Referred to Cities/ A.3380 Referred to Ways and Means 2007: S.3033 - Referred to Cities/ A.3380 Referred to Ways and Means
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.