The New York City Council - File #: Int 2017-2020

• File #: Int 2017-2020
• Version: *
• Name: Visitation policy guidelines for hospitals during public health emergencies.
• Type: Introduction
• Status: Filed (End of Session)
• Committee: Committee on Hospitals
• On agenda: 7/28/2020
• Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to visitation policy guidelines for hospitals during public health emergencies
• Sponsors: Carlina Rivera , Ben Kallos, Margaret S. Chin, Justin L. Brannan, Deborah L. Rose, Adrienne E. Adams, Farah N. Louis, Helen K. Rosenthal
• Council Member Sponsors: 8
• Summary: This bill would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”) to develop voluntary guidelines for hospital visitation policies in the event of a public health emergency. Such guidelines would be distributed to hospitals in the City, posted on the DOHMH website, and submitted to the Mayor and Speaker of the Council. This bill would also require DOHMH to develop voluntary guidelines for hospital visitation policies in response to the new coronavirus disease, COVID-19, by July 1, 2020.

Date	Ver.	Prime Sponsor	Action By	Action	Result
12/31/2021	*	Carlina Rivera	City Council	Filed (End of Session)
12/7/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	Committee on Health	Laid Over by Committee
12/7/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	Committee on Health	Hearing Held by Committee
12/7/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	Committee on Women and Gender Equity	Laid Over by Committee
12/7/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	Committee on Women and Gender Equity	Hearing Held by Committee
12/7/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	Committee on Hospitals	Laid Over by Committee
12/7/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	Committee on Hospitals	Hearing Held by Committee
7/28/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	City Council	Referred to Comm by Council
7/28/2020	*	Carlina Rivera	City Council	Introduced by Council

Int. No. 2017

By Council Members Rivera, Kallos, Chin, Brannan, Rose, Adams, Louis and Rosenthal

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to visitation policy guidelines for hospitals during public health emergencies

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new chapter 20 to read as follows:

CHAPTER 20

PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY RESPONSE

§ 17-2001 Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings:

COVID-19. The term “COVID-19” means the 2019 novel coronavirus or 2019-nCoV.

Department. The term “department” means the department of health and mental hygiene.

Public health emergency. The term “public health emergency” means any state of emergency declared by the state or the city in response to an outbreak of an infectious disease.

§ 17-2002 Hospital visitation policy guidelines. a. No later than 14 days after a declaration of a public health emergency, the department shall develop voluntary guidelines for hospital visitation policies. Such guidelines shall take into consideration federal, state and local laws and regulations regarding hospital visitation policies.  Such guidelines shall include specific provisions regarding visitors of a patient giving birth.

b. The department shall immediately submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council and shall post conspicuously on the department’s website the voluntary guidelines for hospital visitation policies developed pursuant to subdivision a. The department shall immediately distribute such guidelines to every hospital in the city.

c. No later than July 1, 2020, the department shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council and shall post conspicuously on the department’s website voluntary guidelines for hospital visitation policies in response to COVID-19, in accordance with subdivisions a of this section. No later than July 1, 2020, the department shall distribute such guidelines to every hospital in the city.

§2. This local law takes effect immediately.

AM

LS #14496

5/22/20