Requires facilities offering dialysis services to have an alternate generated power source for use during a general power outage or disaster emergency; provides exemptions.
Summary
This bill would amend the New York Executive Law to require every facility that offers dialysis services to maintain an alternate power source. The alternate power source must be capable of supplying enough electricity to run all equipment needed to provide dialysis and must operate independently of the local electric utility system during a general power outage or a declared disaster emergency. The bill is aimed at ensuring continuity of care for dialysis patients when normal power service is disrupted.
The bill expressly excludes a patient’s home and other locations whose primary purpose is not to provide health care, including training sites where patients learn to perform dialysis therapies themselves at home or elsewhere. If enacted, the requirement would take effect 180 days after becoming law, giving facilities time to comply with the new preparedness standard.
Impact
The bill would add a new section 23-d to the Executive Law, creating a statewide emergency preparedness requirement for dialysis facilities. It would impose an operational obligation on dialysis providers to have backup generation or equivalent alternate power capability sufficient to keep dialysis equipment running during outages and disaster emergencies. The measure would not apply to home dialysis settings or non-health-care locations, limiting its reach to facilities that directly provide dialysis services.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcript or vote history, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears to be framed as a patient-safety and disaster-readiness proposal, suggesting a protective public-health rationale rather than a controversial policy change. No formal sentiment can be inferred beyond the bill’s clear intent to prevent service interruptions for a medically vulnerable population.
Contention
Because there are no recorded committee discussions or votes in the provided materials, no specific points of contention are documented. Potential areas of concern, based on the bill’s requirements, could include the cost and feasibility of installing and maintaining backup power systems, compliance timelines, and whether smaller dialysis providers would face disproportionate burdens. The bill’s explicit exemptions for home dialysis and training locations may also reflect an effort to narrow the mandate and reduce operational disputes.
Requires facilities offering dialysis services to have an alternate generated power source for use during a general power outage or disaster emergency; provides exemptions.
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