New York Senate Bill S07780 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7780--A Cal. No. 353 2023-2024 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE December 1, 2023 ___________ Introduced by Sens. BROUK, FERNANDEZ, JACKSON, WEBB -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules -- recommitted to the Committee on Women's Issues in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to doula friendly work spaces The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature acknowledges that 2 doulas face exclusionary measures in gaining recognition and overall 3 integration within the maternal health continuum, such as hospitals and 4 birthing centers. The legislature declares that the purpose of this act 5 is to study and report on the integration of doula care and services in 6 the healthcare continuum and to recommend best practices to designate 7 doula friendly spaces in New York state. 8 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2803-j-1 9 to read as follows: 10 § 2803-j-1. Designating doula friendly spaces study. 1. The department 11 shall conduct a study to examine and evaluate current practices on the 12 integration of doula care, services, and support within birthing 13 centers, hospitals, and other healthcare delivery facilities. This study 14 shall report such findings through comprehensive metrics on doula 15 friendliness in facilities across the geographic diversity of the state 16 that are licensed under this article. Factors and metrics to be 17 reported by the study shall include but not be limited to: 18 (a) Identifying and engaging with doula led and centered organizations 19 on their current programs regarding doula integration; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD13598-02-4 
 S. 7780--A 2 1 (b) Identifying hospitals and birthing centers that are doula friendly 2 in their operation; 3 (c) Identifying successful doula integration programs and initiatives 4 in hospitals and birthing centers in New York state; and 5 (d) Identifying successful doula integration programs and initiatives 6 in other states. 7 2. The study shall also make recommendations on best practices for the 8 state to help facilitate doula integration and doula friendliness in 9 hospitals and birthing centers. Such recommendations shall include, but 10 not be limited to: 11 (a) Best practices that doulas currently operating in New York state 12 recommend for proper integration; 13 (b) Criteria for hospitals and birthing centers for integration of 14 doulas and doula care into the varying processes of birth; 15 (c) Criteria for how the state should best support the formal desig- 16 nation of doula friendly places; 17 (d) Criteria for how hospitals and birthing centers shall give doulas 18 visitor status or equal status in the facilities; 19 (e) Criteria for doula presence in the birthing room; 20 (f) Criteria for inclusion of doulas in the healthcare continuum; 21 (g) Best practices and criteria for the collection of data regarding 22 doula friendliness and integration; and 23 (h) Best practices for the reporting of metrics for doula friendliness 24 and integration. 25 3. On or before December thirty-first, two thousand twenty-five, the 26 department shall submit a final report containing all findings and 27 recommendations to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, 28 and the speaker of the assembly. 29 § 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall 30 have become a law.