Relates to directing the commissioner of health to conduct a study on the feasibility of creating a burn center in Kings County Medical Center in collaboration with SUNY Downstate Medical Center's University Hospital of Brooklyn.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A8603
SPONSOR: Richardson TITLE OF BILL: An act in relation to directing the commissioner of
health to conduct a study on the feasibility of creating a burn center
in Kings County Medical Center in collaboration with SUNY Downstate
Medical Center's University Hospital of Brooklyn
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: To study the viability and cost of a
facility that would fill a medical services void for burn victims in
Brooklyn.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: This bill would establish a study to
determine the feasibility of creating a burn unit in SUNY Downstate
Medical Center's University Hospital of Brooklyn, which could be located
in an under-utilized or unused retrofitted former inpatient area.
JUSTIFICATION: There are currently only three burn units for burn
victims in New York City: New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan,
Jacoby Hospital in the Bronx, and Staten Island University Hospital
North. However, the only New York burn center to meet the qualifications
for the American Burn Association is the William Randolph Hearst Burn
Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Moreover, it is inexplicable
that Brooklyn as the fourth largest municipality in the nation does not
have a burn center.
The number of major fires in Brooklyn has been increasing as of late.
One can only speculate that this may be attributable to increases in the
value of property - commercial or residential - in a current market
wherein the destruction of space make way for higher end and luxury real
estate. In addition to the lives lost in these fires, there were many
more injured. A number of victims were severely burned and at times
permanently disfigured because they were unable to receive immediate
treatment. It should be our goal to develop a burn center in a Brooklyn
hospital for the provision of optimal care to burn patients from the
time of injury through rehabilitation. We must address this void in the
provision of health care for our Brooklyn constituency.
It is necessary that a burn center is created to provide optimal care to
burn patients. This requires quick access to facilities, benefits from
association with teaching and fellowship programs associated with the
American College of Surgeons and the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education (ACGME).
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: None.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: Approximately $1,250,000 to conduct a feasibility
study to establish a burn unit at Kings County Hospital in collaboration
with the trauma center at SUNY Downstate Medical Center's University
Hospital of Brooklyn.
It is estimated that the project would cost approximately $25 million
for renovation, fixed and moveable equipment and additional staffing.
Funding for the feasibility study is available under the governor's
current $700 million appropriation for. Kings County "health care facil-
ity transformation in Kings County" specifically for capital, non-opera-
tional works.
EFFECTIVE DATE: Effective immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8603
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
December 2, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. RICHARDSON -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Health
AN ACT in relation to directing the commissioner of health to conduct a
study on the feasibility of creating a burn center in Kings County
Medical Center in collaboration with SUNY Downstate Medical Center's
University Hospital of Brooklyn
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The commissioner of health is directed to conduct a study
2 and do research as to the feasibility of creating a burn center in Kings
3 County Medical Center in collaboration with SUNY Downstate Medical
4 Center's University Hospital of Brooklyn.
5 The study shall be conducted in accordance with rules, regulations and
6 standards determined by the commissioner of health. The study shall
7 concentrate on provisions of optimal care to burn patients for the time
8 of injury through rehabilitation with the goal of establishing a frame-
9 work for the establishment of an accredited burn unit that provides high
10 quality patient care while meeting the standards for organizational
11 structure, personnel qualifications, facilities resources and medical
12 care services pursuant to the Guidelines for the Operation of Burn
13 Centers of the American Burn Association.
14 The commissioner of health shall report his or her findings to the
15 governor, the speaker of the assembly, the minority leader of the assem-
16 bly, the temporary president of the senate and the minority leader of
17 the senate on or before one year from the date this act shall take
18 effect.
19 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10553-03-5
