Int. No. 523
By Council Member Lancman
Title
A Local Law in relation to the creation of a safe patient handling advisory board.
Body
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The Council finds that it is in the public interest to develop Safe Patient Handling policy recommendations for health care facilities operating in New York City. There are many benefits that can be derived from the development and implementation of Safe Patient Handling policies. Patients benefit through improved quality of care and quality of life by reducing the risk of falls, being dropped, friction burns, skin tears and bruises. Caregivers benefit from the reduced risk of career ending and debilitating injuries. If best practices in Safe Patient Handling are identified and if such practices were implemented, there would be improved health and safety across the City.
?2. Safe Patient Handling Advisory Board. a. For purposes of this subdivision, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1. "Health care facility" shall mean any individual, partnership, association, corporation, limited liability company or any person or group of persons acting directly or indirectly on behalf of or in the interest of the employer, who provides health care services in a facility licensed or operated pursuant to articles twenty-eight, twenty-eight-a and thirty-six of the New York state public health law, the New York state mental hygiene law, the New York state education law and the New York state correction law, including any facility operated by New York state, a political subdivision or a public benefit corporation as defined by section sixty-six of the New York state general construction law, or any successor provision thereto.
2. "Nurse" shall have the same meaning as set forth in article one hundred thirty-nine of the New York state education law.
3. "Direct care worker" shall mean any employee of a health ca...
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