Int. No. 1047
By Council Members Abreu, Schulman, Louis, Gutiérrez, Ossé, Menin, Nurse, Williams, Hanks, Krishnan, Sanchez and Carr
A Local Law in relation to establishing a sleep apnea screening pilot program and public education and outreach campaign
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Sleep apnea screening program and public education campaign. a. For purposes of this local law, the following terms have the following meanings:
Department. The term “department” means the department of health and mental hygiene or another agency designated by the mayor that has appropriate subject matter expertise relating to sleep apnea screening, testing, and treatment.
Health care professional. The term “health care professional” means an individual duly licensed or otherwise authorized to practice a health profession pursuant to applicable law, including, but not limited to, physicians, registered professional nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians assistants.
Home sleep apnea test. The term “home sleep apnea test” means any non-invasive test or device cleared or approved by the federal food and drug administration to diagnose or evaluate risk of sleep apnea.
Patient. The term “patient” means an individual who is uninsured or an individual whose insurance coverage requires the individual to pay an out-of-pocket cost of $100 or more for a sleep apnea screening or a home sleep apnea test.
Sleep apnea. The term “sleep apnea” means a sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts. For the purposes of this section, “sleep apnea” refers to both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea screening. The term “sleep apnea screening” means screening tools that assess individual risk of sleep apnea, including but not limited to, the STOP-BANG questionnaire, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the 4-Variable screening tool.
b. Sleep apnea screening pilot program. The department shall establish a pilot program to conduct sleep apnea screenings for patients at no cost to the patient. The department shall prioritize providing such screenings to uninsured patients. If sleep apnea screening results are suggestive of sleep apnea or indicate a risk for sleep apnea, the department shall facilitate access to home sleep apnea tests at no cost to the patient, as well as make referrals to other health professionals when appropriate.
c. Implementation. The pilot program established by subdivision b of this section shall commence no later than 180 days after the effective date of this law. The duration of such program shall be 3 years.
d. Sleep apnea screening report. No later than 1 year after the end of the pilot program established by subdivision b of this section, the department shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council and post on the department’s website a report on such program. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, the following information:
1. The total number of patients screened through such program, disaggregated by the age of the patient screened, the borough in which the patient resides, the race and ethnicity of the patient screened, and whether the patient has insurance;
2. The total number of patients referred or connected to health professionals or other services following the sleep apnea screening;
3. The total number of patients that were provided with a home sleep apnea test as required by subdivision b of this section; and
4. Any challenges with establishing or administering such program and recommendations as to whether to establish a permanent sleep apnea screening program.
e. No report required by subdivision d of this section shall contain personally identifiable information.
f. Public education and outreach. Throughout the course of the pilot program established pursuant to subdivision b of this law, the department shall establish and implement an outreach and education campaign to raise awareness about sleep apnea. In conducting such outreach, the department shall utilize social media, internet, radio, print media, or digital kiosks, and shall advise the public on the health risks associated with sleep apnea, common signs and symptoms of sleep apnea, as well as information on how to access healthcare for sleep apnea, including, but not limited to, the sleep apnea screening pilot program established pursuant to subdivision b of this section. The materials for such outreach campaign shall be made available in the designated citywide languages.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately and expires and is deemed repealed upon submission of the report required by subdivision d of this law.
SOS
LS #13701/13702
9/20/24 4:10pm