Includes eating disorders awareness, prevention, reduction and treatment, especially among children and adolescents, within the health care and wellness education and outreach program of the department of health.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A10149A
SPONSOR: Rivera P (MS)
 
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to
including eating disorders awareness, prevention, reduction and treat-
ment within the health care and wellness education and outreach program
 
PURPOSE: To include eating disorders within the health care and well-
ness education and outreach program.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 of the bill amends subdivision I of section 207 of the public
health law to include Eating disorders awareness, prevention, reduction
and treatment, especially among children and adolescents within the
health care and wellness education and outreach program
Section 2 of the bill provides for an immediate effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION: Alarmingly, in American high schools 30% of girls and
16% of boys suffer from disordered eating, and Anorexia is the third
most common chronic illness among adolescents. In fact it has the high-
est death rate of any mental illness with females between the ages of 15
and 24 dying 12 times more from their eating disorder than all other
causes of death in that age-group.
A recent study found that between 1999 and 2006, hospitalizations for
eating disorders increased most sharply (119%) for children younger than
12 years old. Clearly eating disorder awareness, detection and
prevention must start at early ages and be addressed in a comprehensive
manner. Early recognition and intervention of eating disorders has been
linked to better treatment outcomes, however it requires enhance screen-
ing, awareness and intervention. This bill provides a comprehensive
approach by creating an awareness and prevention program to develop a
media campaign, establish school-based eating disorders awareness and
prevention programs with linkages to health education courses, sponsor
periodic conference or meetings of stakeholders and develop, promote and
make available training programs for health professionals.
New York State has already taken a leading role in recognizing the
importance of addressing eating disorders. In 2004 a network of Compre-
hensive Care Centers for Eating Disorders were established and in 2007
the Child Performer Advisory Board to Prevent Eating Disorders was
enacted. This bill represents the next steps for New York State to
ensure we do everything we can to be proactive and save lives
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New Bill.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: To be determined, however with the cost of treat-
ing full symptom eating disorders costing upwards of $30,000 per month,
this bill can, a minimal cost, result in significant savings to the
state health care system while saving lives.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10149--A
IN ASSEMBLY
May 9, 2012
___________
Introduced by M. of A. P. RIVERA, J. MILLER, N. RIVERA, ORTIZ, TITONE,
MAISEL, CRESPO, COLTON, CASTRO, BOYLAND, ROBERTS, WEPRIN, GIBSON,
STEVENSON, MONTESANO, SALADINO, MARKEY, LINARES, THIELE, JAFFEE,
CLARK, MILLMAN, LIFTON, GUNTHER, BARRON, LUPARDO, LENTOL, KELLNER,
GALEF, MAGNARELLI, HOOPER, J. RIVERA, ROBINSON, RAMOS, ROSENTHAL,
HEASTIE, PAULIN, MENG, ENGLEBRIGHT, SIMOTAS, COOK, TITUS, RUSSELL,
BENEDETTO, REILLY, BRAUNSTEIN, LATIMER, FARRELL, ESPINAL, GANTT, BRIN-
DISI, JEFFRIES, MAGEE, BROOK-KRASNY, BARRETT, V. LOPEZ, BRONSON,
GABRYSZAK, PRETLOW, SCARBOROUGH, SIMANOWITZ -- Multi-Sponsored by --
M. of A. ARROYO, BARCLAY, BLANKENBUSH, BRENNAN, BURLING, BUTLER,
CALHOUN, CERETTO, CYMBROWITZ, DUPREY, FITZPATRICK, GOTTFRIED, GRAF,
HAWLEY, HEVESI, JOHNS, JORDAN, KEARNS, KOLB, MALLIOTAKIS, McDONOUGH,
McENENY, McKEVITT, MURRAY, PALMESANO, PERRY, RA, REILICH, SMARDZ,
SWEENEY, TENNEY, WALTER, WEISENBERG -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Health -- reported and referred to the Committee on Ways
and Means -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as
amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to including eating
disorders awareness, prevention, reduction and treatment within the
health care and wellness education and outreach program
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 207 of the public health law is
2 amended by adding a new paragraph (i) to read as follows:
3 (i) Eating disorders awareness, prevention, reduction and treatment,
4 especially among children and adolescents.
5 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15726-04-2