Assemblyman Steve Hawley (R,C,I-Batavia) voted ‘yes’ on a bill that proposes residential healthcare facilities be more proactive and responsible when dealing with pandemics moving forward. The regulations will be reviewed and enforced by the state Department of Health. Hawley’s ‘yes’ vote was made the night of May 27, with the bill being passed by the Assembly that same night.

“This pandemic has taught us much; one of the unfortunate lessons we have learned is that the health and well-being of our senior citizens is sometimes squandered by unprofessional and irresponsible senior living facilities,” Hawley said. “With this bill being passed, it looks likely that the sins of yesterday committed by both the managers of these facilities and the state government through their inaction will begin to be redeemed, one step at a time.”

Assembly Bill A10394, introduced on May 27, was drafted and developed in response to the staggering loss of life throughout senior care communities across all New York state. It determines what bodies of government can be authorized to intervene in cases where quality of life standards is not stringent enough. The bill requires the following:

• residential health care facilities must submit an annual pandemic emergency plan to the commissioner of health
• requires such plan to include a communication plan with families, and plans to protect staff, residents and families against infection, and
• plans to preserve a resident's place at the facility if he or she is hospitalized.