Directs the creation of a document giving certain notice to parents and guardians of school age students who are diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition or a certain medical condition

S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4903

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                                    I N  S E N A T E

                                    February 14, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, ADDABBO, CLEARE, FERNANDEZ, HOYLMAN-SIGAL,
          MAYER,  MYRIE,  RIVERA, ROLISON -- 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 a physi-
          cian who treats a minor patient with a medical  condition  to  provide
          certain educational information to such patient's parents or guardians

          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  "Shepherd
     2  Patterson law".
     3    §  2.  The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2500-n
     4  to read as follows:
     5    § 2500-N. INFORMATION ON EDUCATION ACCOMMODATIONS FOR A MINOR  PATIENT
     6  WITH  A  MEDICAL CONDITION THAT MAY CAUSE A DISABILITY. 1.  ON OR BEFORE
     7  JULY FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SIX,  THE  DEPARTMENT,  IN  CONSULTATION
     8  WITH  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION,  SHALL  DEVELOP  AN  INFORMATIONAL
     9  PAMPHLET FOR PRACTITIONERS TO DISTRIBUTE TO THE PARENTS OR GUARDIANS  OF
    10  A  PATIENT  UNDER  THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN WITH A MEDICAL CONDITION THAT MAY
    11  CREATE A DISABILITY FOR  THE  PATIENT  AS  DEFINED  UNDER  SECTION  FIVE
    12  HUNDRED  FOUR  OF  THE  FEDERAL  REHABILITATION  ACT OF NINETEEN HUNDRED
    13  SEVENTY-THREE.  SUCH INFORMATION SHALL INDICATE THAT SUCH MINOR  MAY  BE
    14  ENTITLED  TO  A  FREE  AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC EDUCATION AS DEFINED UNDER
    15  SECTION FIVE HUNDRED FOUR OF THE FEDERAL REHABILITATION ACT OF  NINETEEN
    16  HUNDRED  SEVENTY-THREE, AS AMENDED, WHICH MAY INCLUDE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR
    17  THE DELIVERY OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR ELIGIBLE STUDENTS  WITH  DISA-
    18  BILITIES.    SUCH  WRITTEN INFORMATION SHALL ALSO STATE THAT THE PARENT,
    19  GUARDIAN, OR PERSON IN A PARENTAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE  PATIENT  SHOULD
    20  CONTACT  THEIR SCHOOL TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR THE PATIENT
    21  AND THE BENEFITS OF SHARING POTENTIALLY  LIFE-SAVING  EMERGENCY  MEDICAL
    22  INFORMATION WITH SCHOOL PERSONNEL.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09303-01-5
        S. 4903                             2

     1    2. THE INFORMATIONAL PAMPHLET SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR USE BY PRAC-
     2  TITIONERS  ON  THE  DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE IN A PRINTABLE FILE, AND MAY BE
     3  AVAILABLE FOR  ORDER  AS  A  PRINTED  DELIVERABLE  ON  THE  DEPARTMENT'S
     4  WEBSITE.    THE  PAMPHLET  SHALL  BE WRITTEN IN ENGLISH AND THE SIX MOST
     5  COMMON  NON-ENGLISH  LANGUAGES  SPOKEN  BY INDIVIDUALS BASED ON THE MOST
     6  RECENT FEDERAL CENSUS.
     7    3. A PRACTITIONER MAY  PROVIDE  THE  PARENT  AND/OR  GUARDIAN  OF  THE
     8  PATIENT  WITH  THE  INFORMATIONAL  PAMPHLET  DEVELOPED  PURSUANT TO THIS
     9  SECTION.
    10    4. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "PRACTITIONER" MEANS  A  HEALTH  CARE
    11  PROFESSIONAL  LICENSED,  CERTIFIED,  OR OTHERWISE AUTHORIZED TO PRACTICE
    12  UNDER THE EDUCATION LAW, ACTING WITHIN THE SCOPE OF PRACTICE.
    13    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
    14  it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    15  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    16  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
    17  completed on or before such effective date.