Int. No. 1984
By Council Members Levine, Kallos, Gjonaj, Chin and Yeger
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to a hospital surge capacity plan
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 30 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 30-116 to read as follows:
§ 30-116 Hospital surge capacity plan. a. The commissioner, in consultation with hospitals, the department of health and mental hygiene and other relevant city, state and federal agencies, shall develop a hospital surge capacity plan to ensure the ability of hospitals to increase bed capacity by 100 percent, to the extent feasible, in the event of a public health emergency declared by the commissioner of health and mental hygiene or a state of emergency declared by the president of the United States, the governor or the mayor. Such plan shall include but not be limited to the following information:
1. Protocols and procedures for activation and implementation of such plan;
2. Strategies and tactics that hospitals may implement to increase bed capacity, such as canceling elective surgeries and procedures and transitioning non-critical patients to other hospital areas;
3. Protocols and procedures to meet additional equipment, supply and other resource needs related to increasing bed capacity; and
4. A mechanism to establish ongoing communication among hospitals, the office and other relevant governmental agencies to report daily patient census and bed capacity.
b. No later than 180 days after the effective date of this local law, the commissioner shall submit to the council a copy of the hospital surge capacity plan required pursuant to subdivision a of this section. The commissioner shall assess such plan annually and shall provide the council with updated versions of such plan no later than 60 days after any subsequent revisions to such plan.
c. Notwithstanding the requirements of this section, the commissioner shall not be required to disclose to the council portions of the hospital surge capacity plan required pursuant to subdivision a of this section or revisions made to such plan, where disclosure of such information could compromise public safety or health.
§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.
MHL
LS #14685
05/21/20