Res 1326-2020

By Council Members Rivera, Kallos, Moya and Chin Whereas, The new coronavirus, COVID-19, has severely impacted New York City and stretched the resources of New York City hospitals and health care providers; and Whereas, A March 28, 2020, news article published by The City found that as of March 26, 2020, only 3,557 hospital beds of all types were available out of 20,330 beds citywide; and Whereas, As part of efforts to increase patient capacity in New York City and treat patients impacted by COVID-19, New York State and New York City permitted the establishment of publicly-operated and privately-operated temporary emergency field hospitals in New York City; and Whereas, On March 31, 2020, Samaritan's Purse and Mount Sinai Health System established a 68-bed emergency field hospital in Central Park in New York City; and Whereas, Samaritan's Purse is led by Franklin Graham, who has a history of promoting homophobic and transphobic biases, and has called the LGBTQ community "immoral" and "detestable"; and Whereas, Samaritan's Purse requires that its volunteers agree to a written affirmation "that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female"; and Whereas, The New York State Department of Health is charged with enforcing the New York State Hospital Patients' Bill of Rights pursuant to Section 405.7 of Title 10 of the Codes, Rules, and Regulations of New York; and Whereas, Section 2801 of the New York Public Health Law defines a hospital as a facility or institution engaged principally in providing services by or under the supervision of a physician including, but not limited to, a general hospital; and Whereas, Consistent with the New York State Hospital Patients' Bill of Rights, every general hospital must guarantee patients certain rights, including the right to receive treatment without discrimination as to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age or source of payment; and Whereas, The New York State Hospital Patients' Bill of Rights applies to every general hospital, regardless of whether such hospital is operated by a public or private entity; and Whereas, The rights afforded to hospital patients in New York State under the Patients' Bill of Rights should be guaranteed to patients regardless of the temporary or emergency nature of a particular field hospital; and Whereas, Public and private entities providing health-related services in New York City hospitals during the COVID-19 crisis should care for their patients in a manner consistent with the rights guaranteed under the New York State Patients' Bill of Rights; and Whereas, Every hospital patient deserves to be treated with equal dignity and respect; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the New York State Department of Health to ensure and clarify that the New York State Hospital Patients' Bill of Rights applies to the provision of care in all hospital settings, including temporary and emergency field hospitals. LS #14539 5/12/20 9:53 AM CP