New York S 7185: Relates to the creation of a disease assessment program

Bill Text

STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          7185
                    IN SENATE
                                       (Prefiled)
                                     January 3, 2018
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  SERINO -- 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  developing  a
          Parkinson's disease assessment program in the state
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 18
     2  to read as follows:
     3                                 ARTICLE 18
     4                   PARKINSON'S DISEASE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
     5  Section 1801. Definitions.
     6          1802. Parkinson's disease registry.
     7    § 1801. Definitions. For the purposes of this article: 1. "Parkinson's
     8  disease" shall  mean  a  chronic  and  progressive  neurologic  disorder
     9  resulting from deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine as the conse-
    10  quence of degenerative, vascular, or inflammatory changes in the area of
    11  the brain called the basal ganglia. Such disorder shall be characterized
    12  by  tremor  at  rest,  slow  movements, and rigidity of movement, droopy
    13  posture, muscle weakness, and unsteady or shuffling gait; and
    14    2. "Facility" shall mean any governmental or private  agency,  depart-
    15  ment,  institution, clinic, laboratory, hospital, nursing care facility,
    16  health maintenance organization, association  or  other  similar  entity
    17  that provides medical care.
    18    § 1802. Parkinson's  disease registry. 1. The department shall conduct
    19  a  program  of    epidemiological  assessments  of  the   incidence   of
    20  Parkinson's disease in the state. Such program shall include, but not be
    21  limited  to,  the  monitoring  of  Parkinson's  disease  associated with
    22  suspected chemical agents encountered by  the  general  public  both  in
    23  specific occupations and in the environment generally.
    24    2.  An  attending  physician or a person representing or employed by a
    25  facility as defined by the commissioner shall report  the  existence  of
    26  Parkinson's  disease  to  the  department  when  such physician or other
    27  person diagnoses the presence of that illness or a patient is prescribed
         EXPLANATION--Matter in  (underscored) is new; matter in bracketsitalics
                              [] is old law to be omitted. 
                                                                   LBD13995-01-7

        S. 7185                             2
     1  medication that is used to treat Parkinson's disease or  related  neuro-
     2  logical conditions.
     3    3.  (a)  The  commissioner  shall analyze available incidence data and
     4  prepare reports as necessary to identify Parkinson's disease hazards to:
     5    (i) public health;
     6    (ii) specific occupations; and
     7    (iii) geographic areas and their interventions and remedies.
     8    (b) The commissioner shall issue an annual report that shall be desig-
     9  nated as a Parkinson's disease report and shall, at a  minimum,  contain
    10  information which the commissioner establishes as necessary to identify,
    11  locate and investigate the:
    12    (i) occurrence;
    13    (ii) frequency;
    14    (iii) incidence; and
    15    (iv) concentrations in particular occupations; cause, effect and prog-
    16  nosis  of Parkinson's disease, and other relevant data and findings with
    17  respect thereto.
    18    (c) Parkinson's disease reports and data shall be  maintained  by  the
    19  department in a manner suitable for research purposes, and shall be made
    20  available to persons set forth in this article.
    21    4.  Notwithstanding  any  other  provisions  of  law,  all information
    22  collected pursuant to this article shall be confidential insofar as  the
    23  identity of the individual patient is concerned and shall be used solely
    24  for the purposes as provided in this article. Access to such information
    25  shall  be  limited  to  the  authorized  employees of the department and
    26  persons with a valid scientific interest and qualifications, as  defined
    27  by  the commissioner, who are engaged in demographic, epidemioligical or
    28  other similar studies related to health, and who agree, in  writing,  to
    29  maintain confidentiality as established by the commissioner.
    30    5. (a) The department shall maintain an accurate record of all persons
    31  who  are  given  access to the information contained in such Parkinson's
    32