Senate Bill S8268

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Establishes the compassionate helper volunteer program

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2019-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A10393
Current Committee:
Senate Health
Law Section:
Public Health

2019-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Establishes the compassionate helper volunteer program to implement a system by which eligible volunteers may provide free non-medical, quality of life services in hospitals to individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and to their families.

2019-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S8268 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8268
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                May 1, 2020
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to establish the compassionate helper volunteer program
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Compassionate Helper Volunteer Program. 1. The department
 of health, in cooperation with the city of New York department of health
 and mental hygiene and local county departments of health, shall  estab-
 lish  a  compassionate helper volunteer program to implement a system by
 which eligible volunteers may provide free non-medical, quality of  life
 services  in  hospitals to individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and to
 their families.
   2. The commissioner of health is authorized and directed to promulgate
 such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the  provisions
 of this act.  Such rules and regulations shall:
   (a) qualify individuals to participate in the volunteer program pursu-
 ant to subdivision three of this section;
   (b)  enable the compassionate helper volunteer program to provide free
 non-medical, quality of life services to individuals  hospitalized  with
 COVID-19 and to their families including but not limited to:
   (i)  providing  support  to  hospitalized  patients including reading,
 playing music or sitting with such hospitalized individuals; and
   (ii) assisting hospitalized individuals with non-medical contact  with
 families and friends including by mobile telephone or portable electron-
 ic device; and
   (c)  authorize  hospitals that participate in the volunteer program to
 select and/or terminate all volunteers serving at such hospital.
   3. A person is eligible to participate as a volunteer under  this  act
 if he or she:
   (a) has been tested by the state or local department of health and has
 been found to have the antibodies to COVID-19;
   (b) has agreed to participate in the volunteer program without compen-
 sation or the expectation of compensation;

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

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