Int 0129-2010

Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. Staten Island is the fastest growing county in New York State. Yet, despite that growth, the Island’s health care infrastructure has not kept pace with the expanding needs of the borough. There are nearly 500,000 residents on Staten Island, but there are only two hospitals. In addition, Staten Island remains the only borough without a Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) full service hospital. While studies have found that the numbers of beds per population is about average, wait times at Staten Island emergency rooms are notoriously long. Hospitals report that 90 percent of the hospital beds on Staten Island are filled on an average day. Staten Island emergency rooms are often filled with patients waiting for beds to become available in other hospital units. The Council finds that there is a hospital crisis on Staten Island. Based on this finding, the Council determines that it is necessary to create a task force to study individual unit bed availability for hospitals on Staten Island and draft recommendations for a more effective allocation of hospital beds per unit to alleviate elements of the hospital crisis. §2. Staten Island Hospitals Task Force. a. There shall be a task force to study individual unit bed availability in Staten Island hospitals and to make specific recommendations to the mayor and council for the effective allocation of resources on Staten Island. b. Such advisory board shall consist of seven members as follows: i. Two members shall be appointed by the mayor, provided that at least one such member shall be a medical professional and shall have experience in hospital administration. ii. Three members shall be appointed by the speaker of the council, provided that at least one member shall be an employee of a Staten Island hospital. iii. The commissioner of health and the director of city planning, or their designees, shall serve ex officio. iv. The members shall be appointed within sixty days of the enactment of this local law. v. At its first meeting, the advisory board shall select a chairperson from among its members by majority vote of the advisory board. c. Each member, other than members serving in an ex officio capacity, shall serve for a term of twelve months, to commence after the final member of the advisory board is appointed. Any vacancies in the membership of the advisory board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A person filling such vacancy shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term of the succeeded member. d. The department of health and the department of city planning may provide staff to assist the task force. e. No member of the advisory board shall be removed from office except for cause and upon notice and hearing by the appropriate appointing official. f. Members of the advisory board shall serve without compensation and shall meet no less than one a month. g. No later than twelve months from the date all seven members of the task force are appoint, the task force shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council a report that shall include the findings, legislative and policy recommendations of the task force based upon its review. §3. This local law shall take effect immediately after its enactment into law. ___ LS# 662 03/04/10 JW