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.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10393
IN ASSEMBLY
May 4, 2020
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LENTOL, FERNANDEZ, EICHENSTEIN, STERN, ORTIZ,
JACOBSON, GALEF, McDONALD, D'URSO, ABINANTI, DINOWITZ, MOSLEY, THIELE,
ENGLEBRIGHT -- read once and referred 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:
1 Section 1. Compassionate Helper Volunteer Program. 1. The department
2 of health, in cooperation with the city of New York department of health
3 and mental hygiene and local county departments of health, shall estab-
4 lish a compassionate helper volunteer program to implement a system by
5 which eligible volunteers may provide free non-medical, quality of life
6 services in hospitals to individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 and to
7 their families.
8 2. The commissioner of health is authorized and directed to promulgate
9 such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions
10 of this act. Such rules and regulations shall:
11 (a) qualify individuals to participate in the volunteer program pursu-
12 ant to subdivision three of this section;
13 (b) enable the compassionate helper volunteer program to provide free
14 non-medical, quality of life services to individuals hospitalized with
15 COVID-19 and to their families including but not limited to:
16 (i) providing support to hospitalized patients including reading,
17 playing music or sitting with such hospitalized individuals; and
18 (ii) assisting hospitalized individuals with non-medical contact with
19 families and friends including by mobile telephone or portable electron-
20 ic device; and
21 (c) authorize hospitals that participate in the volunteer program to
22 select and/or terminate all volunteers serving at such hospital.
23 3. A person is eligible to participate as a volunteer under this act
24 if he or she:
25 (a) has been tested by the state or local department of health and has
26 been found to have the antibodies to COVID-19;
27 (b) has agreed to participate in the volunteer program without compen-
28 sation or the expectation of compensation;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16255-01-0
A. 10393 2
1 (c) has received training from the state or a local department of
2 health to provide volunteer program services; and
3 (d) meets any other qualifications established by the department of
4 health.
5 4. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary,
6 the commissioner of health is authorized to waive, modify or suspend the
7 provisions of rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to article
8 twenty-eight of the public health law if such commissioner determines
9 that such waiver, modification or suspension is necessary for the
10 successful implementing of the compassionate helper volunteer program
11 authorized pursuant to this act and provided that such commissioner
12 determines that the health, safety and general welfare of people receiv-
13 ing services under such volunteer program will not be impaired as a
14 result of such waiver, modification or suspension.
15 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
