What's happening
The bill allows children's camps and camps for children with developmental disabilities to hire a wider range of licensed health and mental health professionals to provide services based on their professional judgment.
Why it matters
Expands the types of licensed health and mental health professionals. that camps can hire, meaning children, including those with developmental disabilities, may have greater access to a broader array of care and support while at camp.
Allows these professionals to use their own professional judgment. (within their legal scope of practice) in treating campers and staff, which could enable more timely, flexible, and appropriate responses to health and mental health issues.
Aligns camp health policies with professional standards. by requiring that decisions be made according to licensees’ training and professional ethics, rather than restricting care to a narrow list of providers or rigid protocols.
Potentially improves camp safety and inclusion. by making it easier for camps to meet the diverse physical, emotional, and behavioral health needs of all campers, especially those with developmental disabilities, which may encourage more families to participate in camp programs.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Let Camps Hire Licensed Pros
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to higher education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 59–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.264
- Referred to health
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to higher education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 61–0
Show 4 earlier actions
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.537
- Referred to health
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3834
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 19, 2019
Introduced by Sens. METZGER, ORTT -- 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 the provision of certain professional services to children's camps and camps for children with developmental disabilities
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 1394 of the public health law, as added by chapter 515 of the laws of 2000, is amended to read as follows:
1. The public health and health planning council shall prescribe standards and establish regulations for children's overnight, summer day and traveling summer day camps, as defined in this article, concerning such matters as may be appropriate for the protection and security of the life, health and safety of the occupants of such camps.
§ 2. Subdivision 3 of section 1394 of the public health law, as added by chapter 214 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
3. Any person, firm, corporation, or association that operates a children's overnight, summer day, or traveling summer day camp, and has obtained a permit pursuant to section thirteen hundred ninety-three of this article, shall be authorized to employ or contract with any of the following licensed professionals: a physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, registered nurse, or licensed practical nurse or emergency medical technician to act as a designated camp health director or to provide health services in assistance to the camp health director [pursuant to applicable regulations promulgated by the commissioner]. All decisions, identification or coordination of professional services, or other professional interactions with campers and staff, must be made based on the professional judgment of such licensees to provide professional services within his or her lawful scope of practice for the purpose of treating campers and staff during their attendance or employ-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02871-01-9
S. 3834 2
ment at such camp, pursuant to applicable regulations promulgated by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of education.
§ 3. The public health law is amended by adding two new sections 1394-c and 1394-d to read as follows:
§ 1394-c. Licensed professionals; children's camps. 1. Any person, firm, corporation, or association that operates a children's overnight, summer day or traveling summer day camp, and has obtained a permit pursuant to section thirteen hundred ninety-three of this article, shall be authorized to employ or contract with any of the mental health practitioners licensed under articles one hundred fifty-three, one hundred fifty-four and one hundred sixty-three of the education law.
2. All decisions, identification or coordination of professional services, or other professional interactions with campers and staff, must be made based on the professional judgment of such licensees to provide professional services within his or her lawful scope of practice for the purpose of treating campers and staff during their attendance or employment at such camp, pursuant to applicable regulations promulgated by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of education.
§ 1394-d. Licensed professionals; camps for children with developmental disabilities. 1. Camps for children with developmental disabilities, as defined in subpart 7-2.2, part 7, chapter 1 of Title 10 of the New York codes, rules and regulations, and in compliance with the justice center for the protection of people with special needs, shall be authorized to employ or contract with any of the licensed professionals licensed under articles one hundred thirty-two, one hundred thirty-six, one hundred fifty-six, one hundred fifty-nine, one hundred sixty-two and one hundred sixty-seven of the education law.
2. All decisions, identification or coordination of professional services, or other professional interactions with campers and staff, must be made based on the professional judgment of such licensees to provide professional services within his or her lawful scope of practice for the purpose of treating campers and staff during their attendance or employment at such camp, pursuant to applicable regulations promulgated by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of education.
§ 4. 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 public health law, in relation to the provision of certain professional services to children's camps and camps for children with developmental disabilities
Purpose
The bill allows children's overnight camps, summer day camps, traveling summer day camps and camps for children with developmental disabilities to employ certain specified licensed professionals and mental health care practitioners, in order to better serve the mental and physical needs of these children during their summer camp experience.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill amends public health law section 1394(1) to provide the public health and health planning council shall prescribe standards and regulations for children's overnight, summer day and trav- eling summer camps.
Read the full memo (823 words)
Section 2 amends public health law section 1394(3) to authorize the operator of a children's overnight, summer day, or traveling summer day camp, with a perrint pursuant to public health law section 1393, to employ or contract with the licensed professionals listed, to provide professional services, provided all decisions, identification or coordi- nation of these services, or other professional interactions with camp- ers and staff at the camp are made based on the professional judgment of such licensee within his or her lawful scope of practice for the purpose of treating campers and staff during their attendance or employment at such camp, pursuant to applicable regulations promulgated by the commis- sioner in consultation with the commissioner of education.
Section 3 amends the public health law by adding two new sections 1394c and 1394-d.
Public health law section 1394-c authorizes the operator of a children's overnight, summer day, or traveling summer day camp, with a permit pursuant to public health law section 1393, to employ or contract with any of the mental health practitioners licensed under articles 153 (psychologists), 154 (social workers) and 163(mental health practition- ers) of the education law, provided all decisions, identification or coordination of these services, or other professional interactions with campers and staff at the camp are made based on the professional judg- ment of such licensee within his or her lawful scope of practice for the purpose of treating campers and staff during their attendance or employ- ment at such camp, pursuant to applicable regulations promulgated by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of education.
Public health law section 1394-d authorizes camps for children with disabilities as defined in the New York codes, rules and regulations Title 10, chapter 1, part 7-2.2, and in compliance with the justice center for the protection of people with special needs, to employ or contract with any of the licensed professionals under articles 132 (chiropractic), 135 (physical therapists),156 (occupational therapy), 159 (speech-language pathologists and audiologists), 162 (athletic trainers) and 167 (applied behavior analysis) of the education law, provided all decisions, identification or coordination of these services, or other professional interactions with campers and staff at the camp are made based on the professional judgment of such licensee within his or her lawful scope of practice for the purpose of treating campers and staff during their attendance or employment at such camp, pursuant to applicable regulations promulgated by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of education.
Section 4 is the effective date.
Existing law
Under the current law, mental health professionals are excluded from the list of permissible services a summer camp may engage on behalf of camp attendees.
Justification
Parents and camps rely on the presence of licensed professionals and practitioners to ensure the well-being of the children they serve. Many summer camps, if authorized, would employ additional licensed profes- sionals and practitioners to provide needed services to care for the mental health and physical well-being of campers. Under this legis- lation, camps may choose to engage the services of social workers, phys- ical therapists, psychologist, athletic trainers, mental health care professionals, and occupational therapists.
Of particular note, camps serving children affected by traumatic events would better meet the need of campers by engaging licensed mental health practitioners. The significant increase in the number of young people diagnosed with mental health disorders, coupled with the tragic increase in suicides among young people, highlights the need for services by licensed mental health practitioners. Although time at a summer camp is often considered a vacation, mental health conditions do not take a vacation.
New York State has adopted the principle of parity between mental health services and physical health services. This bill will further support that principle.
Children at camps are disadvantaged when the law prohibits camps from hiring professionals capable of addressing the physical and mental health needs of campers. Camps must be permitted to offer services chil- dren who need them during their summer camp experience. This legislation provides peace of mind to parents, knowing that their children are in the capable hands of licensed practitioners at summer camps.
Legislative history
2017- 2018 59072 - Referred to Health / A11228 Abinanti
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.