Directs the department of health to develop and implement a residency program initiative to service medically underserved areas; makes an appropriation therefor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4697
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 4, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER, BARCLAY -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to developing and
implementing a residency program initiative to service medically
underserved areas; and making an appropriation therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section
2 2807-mm to read as follows:
3 § 2807-mm. Resident program initiative to service medically under-
4 served areas. 1. The department shall develop and implement a residency
5 program initiative for physicians who agree to work in medically under-
6 served areas in New York state as designated by the commissioner as
7 having a shortage of physicians in certain areas. This initiative will
8 fund fifty residency positions.
9 2. The physician applicant must:
10 (a) complete a residency program initiative application, as developed
11 by the department; and
12 (b) have entered the national resident matching program and have
13 failed to match; and
14 (c) be a resident of New York state; and
15 (d) have graduated from a New York state accredited medical school and
16 have passed the United States medical licensing examination steps 1 and
17 2; or
18 (e) be certified by the education commission for foreign medical grad-
19 uates.
20 3. New York state accredited residency programs must complete a resi-
21 dency program participation application, as developed by the department.
22 4. In order for a New York state accredited residency program to be
23 approved it must be either a teaching hospital or have teaching hospital
24 oversight and be licensed by the department.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03947-01-5
A. 4697 2
1 5. Residency positions funded under this program shall be awarded to
2 interested hospitals on a competitive basis pursuant to a request for
3 proposal or request for application process.
4 6. The department will match physician applicants with approved
5 medical residency programs.
6 7. Upon acceptance to an approved medical residency program the physi-
7 cian applicant must sign a contract with the state whereby the physician
8 applicant agrees to work in New York state in a medically underserved
9 area at the completion of their residency for a minimum of five years.
10 The location must be approved by the department and must accept medicaid
11 and medicare. The physician applicant shall be responsible to repay the
12 department for the cost of their residency should they either fail to
13 complete the residency or the subsequent service requirement. The
14 commissioner shall be given the power to waive or modify the repayment
15 requirement in cases where there is a compelling need or hardship.
16 § 2. The sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000), or so much thereof
17 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the department of health
18 from any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the credit
19 of the state purposes account not otherwise appropriated for the
20 purposes of carrying out the provisions of this act. Such sum shall be
21 payable on the audit and warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers
22 certified or approved by the commissioner of health, or such commission-
23 er's duly designated representative in the manner provided by law.
24 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
25 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
26 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
27 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
28 completed on or before such effective date.
