Creates a department of health education and outreach program on reproductive health services for consumers, patients, educators, and health care providers related to reproductive health services available in New York state including, but not limited to: access to family planning services such as contraceptives and pregnancy testing, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections; makes related provisions.
S09036 would amend the Public Health Law to create a women’s and reproductive health services education and outreach program within the Department of Health. The department would be required to conduct public education and outreach for consumers, patients, educators, and health care providers about reproductive health services available in New York, including preventive care, cancer screenings, contraception, pregnancy testing, STI testing and treatment, and other reproductive health information the commissioner deems appropriate.
The bill also directs the department to maintain a public website with materials, links, and explanations of preventive services that are covered without cost sharing under federal law. The website would include information on a broad set of women’s health services, such as mammography, cervical cancer screening, prenatal screenings, breastfeeding support, domestic violence screening, HIV/HPV/STI counseling and testing, well-woman visits, telehealth access, financial assistance, clinic-finding resources, and reproductive health programs offered through other state agencies. It also requires multilingual materials, consultation with health professionals and consumers, updates based on best practices, and educational materials for emergency room staff on discharge and transfer requirements. The bill further adds cytomegalovirus educational materials for pregnant patients and requires confidentiality protections for providers and individuals using the program.
If enacted, the bill would expand and reorganize existing Public Health Law section 266 by shifting it from a general department website framework to a more specific women’s and reproductive health education and outreach mandate. It would impose new duties on the Department of Health to create, update, translate, and distribute educational materials, maintain a website, and provide information to hospitals, providers, midwives, and patients. It would also add statutory requirements related to pregnancy complications, emergency discharge rights, EMTALA-related guidance, cytomegalovirus education, and confidentiality protections for service users and providers.
The available context shows no recorded committee debate or votes, so there is no documented floor or committee sentiment to assess. Based on the bill text and sponsor framing, the measure appears to be presented as a public health and patient-information initiative aimed at improving access to reproductive health information and services. The overall tone of the bill is affirmative and administrative rather than punitive or regulatory.
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided transcripts or voting history because none are available. Potential areas that could draw scrutiny include the bill’s focus on reproductive health services, the inclusion of contraception and telehealth resources, the requirement to provide information in multiple languages, and the confidentiality provisions for providers and patients. The bill also expressly excludes abortifacient drugs from the contraception information section, which may be relevant to stakeholders on different sides of reproductive health policy debates.