S 5294: Requires hospitals to establish a violence prevention program which includes a workplace safety and security assessment and develop a safety and security plan that addresses identified workplace violence threats or hazards.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5294 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 20, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. SEPULVEDA, CLEARE, GRIFFO, WEBB -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring hospi- tals to develop a violence prevention program 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 section 2 2832 to read as follows: 3 § 2832. Violence prevention program. 1. Every general hospital shall 4 establish a violence prevention program consistent with the Centers for 5 Medicare and Medicaid Services conditions of participation regarding 6 emergency events (42 C.F.R § 482.15(d)(1) and 24 C.F.R 482.15(a)) and 7 the workplace violence standards of any accrediting organization by the 8 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under which such hospital 9 maintains accreditation provided however, such standards are comparable 10 to those established by The Joint Commission on Health Care Organiza- 11 tions. 12 2. General hospitals located in a city or county with a population of 13 one million or more shall be required to have at least one off-duty law 14 enforcement officer or trained security personnel be present at all 15 times in the emergency department, except in emergent circumstances that 16 require a large security presence elsewhere in the facility. 17 3. General hospitals located in a city or county with a population 18 less than one million shall be required to have at least one off-duty 19 law enforcement officer or trained security personnel on premises at all 20 times in a manner that prioritizes physical presence near, or within 21 close proximity to, the emergency department of such hospital with 22 direct responsibility to the emergency department. The provisions of 23 this subdivision shall not apply to general hospitals designated as 24 critical access hospitals, sole community hospitals or rural emergency EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00723-01-5 
 S. 5294 2 1 hospitals, provided however, if any such hospital experiences increased 2 rates of violence or abuse of emergency department personnel evidenced 3 by internal reporting pursuant to the violence prevention program or 4 reports to law enforcement, the commissioner shall work with such crit- 5 ical access hospital, sole community hospital or rural emergency hospi- 6 tal to come into compliance with the provisions of this subdivision over 7 a reasonable period of time. 8 § 2. This act shall take effect on the two hundred eightieth day after 9 it shall have become a law.