Senate Bill S4854

2019-2020 Legislative Session

Requires hospitals to provide language assistance services

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Archive: Last Bill Status - In Senate Committee Health Committee


  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2019-S4854 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:
A2394
Current Committee:
Senate Health
Law Section:
Public Health Law
Laws Affected:
Add §2803-w, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:
2011-2012: S1132, A10378
2013-2014: S2960, A1969
2015-2016: S672, A286
2017-2018: S3282, A1236
2021-2022: A409
2023-2024: A702

2019-S4854 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Requires hospitals to provide language assistance services to a patient or a patient's assistant for communication of clinical and other information, including but not limited to health care, billing and making appointments, to ensure effective communication; provides that such interpreter may be a qualified interpreter, volunteer or medical personnel at such hospital; provides for such services to be available at all locations during all times that patient care is available; provides that translations of frequently used forms essential to a patient's care and treatment be available in all of the hospital's primary languages

2019-S4854 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2019-S4854 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4854
 
                        2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 27, 2019
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- 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  requiring  hospi-
   tals to provide language assistance services
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
 2803-w to read as follows:
   §  2803-W.  PROVISION  OF LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE. 1. EVERY HOSPITAL SHALL
 PROVIDE LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES TO A PATIENT OR  PATIENT  ASSISTANT
 SO  AS  TO  ENSURE  THAT  ALL  PATIENTS WHO CANNOT SPEAK, READ, WRITE OR
 UNDERSTAND THE ENGLISH  LANGUAGE  WITH  THE  PROFICIENCY  NECESSARY  FOR
 ADEQUATE  COMMUNICATION  WITH  HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND OTHER PERSONNEL
 HAVE EFFECTIVE ACCESS TO THE HOSPITAL'S PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING
 BUT NOT LIMITED TO HEALTH CARE, BILLING AND MAKING APPOINTMENTS.   EVERY
 HOSPITAL SHALL ENSURE THAT ALL INDIVIDUALS PROVIDING LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE
 SERVICES  TO  PATIENTS  HAVE  SUFFICIENT FLUENCY IN BOTH ENGLISH AND THE
 RELEVANT LANGUAGE TO COMMUNICATE CLINICAL AND OTHER  INFORMATION  NECES-
 SARY  FOR  THE PATIENT TO ACCESS SERVICES.  LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES
 FOR  PRIMARY  AND  NON-PRIMARY  LANGUAGES  SHALL  BE  AVAILABLE  AT  ALL
 LOCATIONS DURING ALL TIMES THAT PATIENT CARE IS AVAILABLE, AND SHALL, TO
 THE  EXTENT  PRACTICABLE,  BE  PROVIDED  IN  PERSON. TRANSLATIONS OF ALL
 FREQUENTLY USED FORMS, AND OTHER WRITTEN MATERIALS THAT ARE ESSENTIAL TO
 A PATIENT'S CARE AND TREATMENT OR ARE  OTHERWISE  NECESSARY  TO  PROVIDE
 ADEQUATE  ACCESS TO THE HOSPITAL'S SERVICES SHALL BE AVAILABLE IN ALL OF
 THE HOSPITAL'S PRIMARY  LANGUAGES.  EVERY  HOSPITAL  SHALL  DEVELOP  AND
 IMPLEMENT  A  COMPREHENSIVE  LANGUAGE  ASSISTANCE  PLAN THAT ESTABLISHES
 UNIFORM  POLICIES  AND  PROCEDURES  FOR  PROVIDING  LANGUAGE  ASSISTANCE
 SERVICES,  INCLUDING  PROCEDURES  FOR  DOCUMENTING  THE PROVISION OF, OR
 REFUSAL OF, LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES, AND THAT REQUIRES TRAINING  TO
 ENSURE  THAT  ALL  STAFF  WHO HAVE CONTACT WITH PATIENTS COMPLY WITH THE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

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