Assembly Resolution No. 694

BY: M. of A. Paulin

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
August 2025, as Ambulatory Surgery Center Month in
the State of New York

WHEREAS, The State of New York takes great pride in recognizing
certain months of the year, in the hopes of increasing awareness of
important medical conditions, education, treatment and care; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim August 2025, as Ambulatory Surgery
Center Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the
observance of National Ambulatory Surgery Center Month; and

WHEREAS, For more than 50 years, Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASC)
have provided high quality, cost-efficient surgical care for millions of
Americans, including here in New York State where 179 single specialty
and/or multi-specialty facilities are in operation as licensed
diagnostic and treatment centers, as of January 2025, and further growth
is expected; and

WHEREAS, ASCs offers same day surgical care for thousands of
procedures for patients overseen by a multidisciplinary team to assure
quality care and post-procedure follow up, which were previously
performed exclusively in hospitals; and

WHEREAS, First established in Phoenix, Arizona, today there are
6,300 Medicare-certified Ambulatory Surgery Center facilities in the
United States and 197,507 health care professionals across the United
States employed by ASCs, which in 2009, had a total economic impact in
excess of 90 billion dollars; and

WHEREAS, ASCs provide greater flexibility for where routine surgical
care can be obtained, often times reducing the amount of time and delay
encountered by patients especially now as elective procedures resume and
New Yorkers return for care that they delayed during COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, ASC facilities are fully licensed and accredited, adhering
to strict regulation and oversight by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services, and Department of Health; and

WHEREAS, A specialization of specific surgical procedures at ASC
facilities ensuring quality of care and excellent outcome and more than
69% are small businesses employing twenty or fewer employees and a
growing number are women and minority owned; and

WHEREAS, More than 3,500 different procedures are performed at ASCs,
including the most common: cataract surgeries, colonoscopies,
endoscopies and orthopedic procedures; and

WHEREAS, ASCs deserve our collective acknowledgment, recognition and
gratitude for providing safe and efficient surgical treatment to New
Yorkers and striving to increase access to surgical care and reduce
health care disparities; and


WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater awareness of this
serious health condition, and more must be done to increase activity at
the local, State and National levels; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim August 2025, as Ambulatory
Surgery Center Month in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York; the New York State Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers; and
the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.