STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8371
IN SENATE
May 19, 2020
___________
Introduced by Sens. JORDAN, ORTT -- read twice and ordered printed, and
when printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to enacting the
health care worker peer support program; 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. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "health
2 care worker peer support program".
3 § 2. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 7.49 to
4 read as follows:
5 § 7.49 Health care worker peer support program.
6 (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have
7 the following meanings:
8 (1) "Program" shall mean the "health care worker peer support program"
9 established by this section.
10 (2) "Eligible entities" shall mean an entity which submits to the
11 commissioner an application, in a form prescribed by the commissioner,
12 containing such information and assurances as the commissioner may
13 require to provide initial and continued training in mental illness,
14 including but not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide
15 prevention, for health care worker volunteers.
16 (b) The commissioner shall establish a grant program to be known as
17 the "health care worker peer support program". Such program shall
18 provide grants, within appropriations therefor, to eligible entities for
19 the purpose of establishing peer-to-peer mental health programs for
20 health care workers.
21 (c) The commissioner shall establish standards applicable to such
22 program. Such standards shall include initial and continued training for
23 health care worker peer volunteers, administrative staffing needs, and
24 best practices for addressing the needs of each health care worker
25 served.
26 (d) Grants may be awarded by the commissioner to an eligible entity in
27 an amount that does not exceed two hundred fifty thousand dollars.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD16291-01-0
S. 8371 2
1 (e) The commissioner shall not require the recipient of any grant
2 under this section to maintain records on health care workers seeking
3 support or report any personal identifying information directly or indi-
4 rectly to the commissioner.
5 § 3. The sum of ten million dollars ($10,000,000), or so much thereof
6 as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the office of mental
7 health out of any moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to
8 the credit of the state purposes account, not otherwise appropriated,
9 and made immediately available, for the purpose of carrying out the
10 provisions of this act.
11 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.
