BILL NUMBER: S8717A

SPONSOR: KENNEDY
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act requiring New York state to develop and implement a plan for the
distribution of a COVID-19 medical countermeasure in a manner that
prioritizes those communities serving the most vulnerable residents of
the state

 
PURPOSE:

This bill would require New York State to develop and implement a plan
to equitably distribute a COVID- 9 medical countermeasure to New York-
ers.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

Section one requires the New York State Department of Health to develop
and release a plan for the equitable distribution of a COVID-19 medical
countermeasure to New York State residents. This plan would be required
              

to prioritize the distribution of the medical countermeasure to communi-
ties and facilities serving the New York residents deemed to be most
vulnerable to the immediate medical threat.

Section two sets the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

COVID-19 is having a disproportionate and devastating impact on the
African American community in New York and across the nation, as well as
senior citizens. As we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time
to address the systemic health disparities in our communities.

As clinical trials begin for the novel coronavirus medical countermeas-
ure, New York State must prioritize those who have been and continue to
be most impacted by this pandemic. Black and Latino people have become
infected with the virus at three times the rate of whites, and have died
nearly twice as frequently(1). They are more likely to suffer from
underlying health problems, including diabetes and obesity, that raise
the risk of hospitalization and death. Not only do these populations
often have less access to health services, but they also have a docu-
mented history of receiving unequal care.  Additionally, more than 85%
of New York State residents who died as a result of COVID-19 were aged
60 and above.(2)

This legislation requires the New York State Department of Health to
develop a plan, to be released to the public, for the equitable distrib-
ution of a future COVID-19 medical countermeasure to residents of the
state. In developing this plan, the Department of Health must take into
account rates of infection, the severity of illness, hospitalization,
recovery, and mortality of patients in a community, with sensitivity to
age, gender, racial and/or ethnic background and low-income status of
the members of the community. Additionally, it would require the state
to take into account the ability or inability of medical providers with-
in a community to purchase or otherwise obtain the vaccine.

The disproportionate number of those being infected by COVID-19 in the
African American community continues to shine a light on these pre-ex-
isting race-based health disparities. There is an undeniable history of
systemic racism and inequality when it comes to accessing health care in
communities of color across the country. During these unprecedented
times, New York must ensure that we are taking all the measures possible
to eliminate health disparities that have only been magnified by the
COVID-19 crisis.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New legislation

 
FISCAL IMPLICATION:

None

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take immediately.
(1)https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/05/ coronavirus-latinos-
aftican-americans-cdc-data.html
(2) https://covid1 9tracker.health.ny.gov/views/ Fatali-
ties?%3Aembed=yes&%3Atoolbar= no&%3Atabs=n