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A10629 Summary:

BILL NOA10629A
 
SAME ASSAME AS S08608-A
 
SPONSORRules (Gunther)
 
COSPNSRWallace, Otis, Griffin, Lupardo
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Add 7.48, Ment Hyg L
 
Establishes the frontline workers trauma informed care advisory council to connect frontline workers impacted by COVID-19 to evidenced-based trauma-informed support resources and learning opportunities.
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A10629 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A10629A
 
SPONSOR: Rules (Gunther)
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the frontline workers trauma informed care advisory council   PURPOSE: To establish an advisory council within the Office of Mental Health that would ensure the trauma related behavioral health needs of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic are met.   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section 1 adds a new section 7.48 to the Mental Hygiene Law to establish the parameters of the Frontline Workers Trauma Informed Care Advisory Council within the Office of Mental Health. The council shall issue a report to the Legislature no later than December 1, 2020. Section 2 establishes the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: Collective trauma is a psychological trauma experienced by a group of people of any size, up to and including an entire society in response to a mass traumatizing event. Mental health researchers are already antic- ipating that there will be collective trauma associated with the COVID- 19 pandemic. In the broadest sense, this collective trauma will be expe- rienced globally, but more specifically, it will be experienced disproportionately by certain subgroups of people exposed more directly to the impact of the pandemic, such as frontline workers. Anticipating the mental health needs of these workers is essential for their own personal well-being and for those individuals who rely on their vital care. At this time, it is uncertain how long this pandemic will last or how long it will be before some sense of normalcy is restored. It is crit- ical, however, to plan now for mental health interventions to be put in place in anticipation of the emotional and psychological needs of these frontline workers. Based on our knowledge of trauma, and by extension collective trauma, we can anticipate that many of these individuals will experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. The impact of these disorders will include absenteeism, disability, and unemployment, which can compound health care and mental health care access issues. This advisory council will ensure that trauma related behavioral health needs of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic are met.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: This is a new bill.   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None to state   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately.
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A10629 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                        10629--A
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      June 10, 2020
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Gunther) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Mental Health --  committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee
 
        AN  ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to establishing the
          frontline workers trauma informed care advisory council

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
     2  7.48 to read as follows:
     3  § 7.48 Frontline workers trauma informed care advisory council.
     4    (a) The commissioner shall  establish  the  frontline  workers  trauma
     5  informed  care  advisory  council  within  the office. The council shall
     6  consist of, at a minimum, the commissioner or his or her  designee;  the
     7  commissioner  of  the  department  of health or his or her designee; the
     8  commissioner of aging or his or her designee; the  commissioner  of  the
     9  office  for  people with developmental disabilities or his or her desig-
    10  nee; the commissioner of the office for addiction services and  supports
    11  or   his  or  her  designee;  the  commissioner  of  the  department  of
    12  corrections and community supervision; the commissioner of the office of
    13  children and family services or his or her designee; the commissioner of
    14  the department of labor or his or her designee; a representative of  the
    15  state  conference  of  local mental hygiene service directors as created
    16  under article forty-one  of  this  chapter;  and  twenty-one  additional
    17  members  of which seven shall be appointed by the governor, six shall be
    18  appointed by the speaker of the assembly, six  shall  appointed  by  the
    19  temporary  president  of  the senate, and one each shall be appointed by
    20  the minority leader of the  assembly  and  the  senate.  Each  appointed
    21  member  shall  be  a representative of one of the following:  (1) behav-
    22  ioral health advocacy organizations; (2) health care provider  organiza-
    23  tions;  (3)  employee  organizations  representing  nurses, doctors, and
    24  other frontline workers; (4) human service providers, including but  not
    25  limited  to  a human service provider as defined pursuant to subdivision
    26  four of section four hundred sixty-four-b of the  social  services  law;
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD16681-04-0

        A. 10629--A                         2
 
     1  (5)  law  enforcement  agencies;  (6)  individuals who have expertise in
     2  fields of discipline related to trauma  informed  care;  and  any  other
     3  group,  association,  organization,  or individual deemed appropriate by
     4  the  commissioner. For purposes of this section, frontline workers shall
     5  include, but shall not be limited to, healthcare workers, first  respon-
     6  ders,  direct  care workers, public safety workers, transportation work-
     7  ers, food service workers and others who have  been  exposed  to  trauma
     8  associated  with  the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic while in the
     9  line of duty.
    10    (b) Council members shall receive no compensation for  their  services
    11  as members of the council, but shall be reimbursed for actual and neces-
    12  sary  expenses  incurred in the performance of their duties. The members
    13  of the council shall choose one member of the council  to  be  a  chair-
    14  person and one member to be co-chairperson.
    15    (c)  The council shall be established within thirty days of the effec-
    16  tive date of this section.
    17    (d) The council shall:
    18    (1) Identify evidence-based tools to  track  the  impact  of  COVID-19
    19  associated collective trauma and the needs of frontline workers;
    20    (2)  Identify or develop training opportunities for organizations that
    21  employ frontline workers on how to support the mental health  and  well-
    22  ness of their impacted employees;
    23    (3)  Identify  evidenced-based  trauma-informed  support resources and
    24  learning opportunities for frontline workers;
    25    (4) Identify or develop a  mechanism  to  inform  and  refer  impacted
    26  frontline  workers  experiencing  symptoms  associated  with COVID-19 to
    27  behavioral health services and supports;
    28    (5) Consult with  any  organization,  government  entity,  agency,  or
    29  person  that  the  council determines may be able to provide information
    30  and expertise on the development and implementation of  trauma  informed
    31  care for frontline workers; and
    32    (6)  Submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly, and
    33  the temporary president of the senate by December  first,  two  thousand
    34  twenty  on  the  duties described in this section, including recommenda-
    35  tions to effectively implement any initiative identified or developed by
    36  the workgroup and included in its report.
    37    (e) To the extent federal funds are available, grants  shall  be  made
    38  available  to  entities that employ frontline workers or other organiza-
    39  tions with relevant  experience,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  providing
    40  support  and  implementing  strategies  or initiatives identified by the
    41  frontline workers trauma informed care workgroup for their workforce.
    42    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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