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Meetings

Finance: May 22, 2012, Health: May 15, 2012

Calendars

Active List: Jun 5, 2012 , Floor Calendar: May 23, 2012 , Floor Calendar: May 30, 2012 , Floor Calendar: May 31, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 4, 2012 , Floor Calendar: Jun 5, 2012

Votes

Memo

BILL NUMBER:S7330

TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to directing the department of health to establish and maintain an internet website to advance women's health initiatives

PURPOSE: Directs the Department of Health (DOH) to establish an internet website to advance women's health initiatives.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section one creates a new title under which the DOH shall establish and maintain an internet website for the purpose of advancing women's health initiatives. Information shall be provided for the purposes of educating the public, raising awareness of women's health issues and providing links to useful resources. The website shall include information detailing the expansion of preventative coverage under federal and state law. This section also requires the DOH to consider making use of social media networks for the purposes of further advancing women's health initiatives.

JUSTIFICATION: The Affordable Care Act makes several changes to public programs, insurance and other aspects of health policy that affect women's health. In 2010, provisions took effect on the federal level and were implemented into state law which expand coverage of certain preventative measures for women's health. The establishment of an up-to-date website would greatly assist women in understanding these and other changes as they take effect.

Further, the website should provide timely information on health issues of importance to women. The availability of such educational materials and resources will help raise awareness among women. The federal government provides a website (http://www.womenshealth.gov/) for similar purposes, New Yorker's should have access to a similar site specific to New York. When considering the policy options to improve the health of women, one suggestion presented by the National Conference of State Legislatures was to support policies that effectively use alternative media (i.e. social networking) for the purposes of promoting and communicating with women.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New bill.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Immediately.

Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________

7330

IN SENATE

May 2, 2012
___________

Introduced  by  Sen.  HANNON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
  printed to be committed to the Committee on Health

AN ACT to amend the public health law,  in  relation  to  directing  the
  department  of health to establish and maintain an internet website to
  advance women's health initiatives

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1.  Article 2 of the public health law is amended by adding a
new title 6 to read as follows:
                                 TITLE VI
                             WOMEN'S HEALTH
SECTION 266. DEPARTMENT WEBSITE.
  S 266. DEPARTMENT WEBSITE. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN
AN INTERNET WEBSITE FOR THE PURPOSE OF ADVANCING WOMEN'S  HEALTH  INITI-
ATIVES.  THE  WEBSITE  SHALL  PROVIDE  INFORMATION  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC, RAISING AWARENESS OF  WOMEN'S  HEALTH  ISSUES  AND
PROVIDING LINKS TO USEFUL RESOURCES. SUCH WEBSITE SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT
BE  LIMITED  TO,  INFORMATION  DETAILING  THE  EXPANSION OF PREVENTATIVE
COVERAGE FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH AND WELL-BEING PROVIDED  FOR  UNDER  FEDERAL
AND  STATE  LAW. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ALSO CONSIDER MAKING USE OF SOCIAL
MEDIA NETWORKS FOR THE PURPOSES OF ADVANCING SUCH INITIATIVES.
  S 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD15697-01-2