A 5956: Creates a public umbilical cord blood banking program within the department of health to promote public awareness of the potential benefits of public cord banking, to promote research into the uses of cord blood, and to facilitate pre-delivery arrangements for public banking of cord blood donations.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5956 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY February 25, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. FITZPATRICK -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to promotion of public umbilical cord blood banking The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 2 43-C to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 43-C 4 PUBLIC UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD BANKING 5 Section 4375. Public umbilical cord blood banking program. 6 § 4375. Public umbilical cord blood banking program. 1. The public 7 umbilical cord blood banking program is hereby established within the 8 department to promote public awareness of the potential benefits of 9 public umbilical cord blood banking, to promote research into the uses 10 of umbilical cord blood, and to facilitate pre-delivery arrangements for 11 public banking of umbilical cord blood donations. 12 2. The department shall: 13 (a) develop a public education and outreach campaign, via written 14 materials, brochures, the internet, and public service announcements to 15 promote public umbilical cord blood banking awareness and education of 16 the general public and potential umbilical cord blood donors of the 17 benefits of public umbilical cord blood banking; 18 (b) develop educational materials and brochures which shall be made 19 available to the general public and potential umbilical cord blood 20 donors through local departments of health; health care practitioners, 21 including obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, and midwives; 22 health maintenance organizations; hospitals; clinics, walk-in medical 23 centers, mobile care units, surgi-centers, and urgent care centers; and 24 clinics and organizations serving pregnant people; EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04712-01-5 
 A. 5956 2 1 (c) coordinate and promote professional education programs for health 2 care providers on the benefits of public umbilical cord blood banking; 3 (d) promote research, through public and private funding sources, in 4 the potential benefits of umbilical cord blood as an alternative to 5 tissue transplantation and as a source of stem cells in the treatment of 6 disease; 7 (e) develop criteria, pursuant to regulation, regarding the appropri- 8 ate collection and storage of umbilical cord blood for public banking; 9 the identification of blood banks and the area served by each such blood 10 bank; the adequacy of safeguards in place at such blood banks to ensure 11 the safe collection and storage of umbilical cord blood; and provisions 12 for arrangements between such blood banks and hospitals, including 13 certification of blood bank personnel, designation of responsibilities 14 and liabilities between such blood bank personnel and hospital person- 15 nel; and any other provisions necessary to ensure the safety of the 16 birthing parent, their child, any such personnel in attendance at the 17 delivery and/or the umbilical cord blood collection site, and the stored 18 umbilical cord blood; and 19 (f) establish a statewide toll-free telephone number to receive 20 requests for information and to direct potential umbilical cord blood 21 donors to available public umbilical cord blood banks serving the area 22 in which such potential donor resides or is planning to deliver. 23 3. The commissioner shall accept and expend any grants, awards, or 24 other funds or appropriations as may be made available for the purposes 25 of this article, subject to limitations as to the approval of expendi- 26 tures and audit as prescribed for state funds by the state finance law. 27 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 28 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 29 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 30 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 31 completed on or before such effective date.