Requires hospitals to provide information on care and resources for brain injuries to patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury and to also provide such information to a patient's family and/or caregivers.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2513
SPONSOR: Ra TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring hospi-
tals to provide certain information to patients who have suffered a
traumatic brain injury
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill will allow patients and caregivers the ability to more effec-
tively respond to, treat, and rehabilitate from traumatic brain injuries
(TBIs). It would also serve patients and their caregivers better by
supplying them with the necessary information to ensure a successful
path to recovery.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends the Public Health Law to add a new
Section 2803-bb entitled "Traumatic brain injury information distrib-
ution." It also defines "traumatic brain injury" as "any acquired brain
injury resulting from sudden trauma causing damages to the brain."
Section 2 Instructs the Commissioner of Health to design an informa-
tional packet for hospitals to deliver to all patients, caregivers, and
families of individuals who suffer a TBI.
Section 3 Includes that such informational packet shall include, but not
be limited to, information regarding short-term and long-term care
options, resources, and best practices. It also instructs that the pack-
et should avoid using esoteric medical terminology whenever possible.
Section 4 provides that in constructing the informational packet, the
Commissioner shall consult with appropriate health care professionals
and shall keep the packet's information up to date with relevant medical
advances.
JUSTIFICATION:
As particularly severe and long-lasting injuries, a traumatic brain
injury (TBI) comes with a plethora of ramifications that require inten-
sive care and instruction over a long period of time. Best practices and
appropriate care techniques are always evolving, and much of the care to
be given will be done by families and caregivers who are not trained and
licensed medical professionals. This bill will ensure that such fami-
lies are able to cope with the responsibilities that accompany caring
for a loved one who has suffered such an injury, on top of the trauma
that comes with a loved one sustaining a TBI.
These packets will ensure that caregivers and families can give robust
support to individuals who suffer from a TBI so that the individual can
rehabilitate faster and more effectively, while also lessening the
burden and stress placed upon these families and caregivers due to these
injuries.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.4227 (2023-2024) - referred to Health
A.9126 (2022) - held for consideration in Health
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None to the State.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediate upon passage.
