S 5722: Relates to creating the health emergency response data system, which collects information and statistical data relating to public health emergencies in order to assist the department of health, other government entities, health care providers, and the public in understanding and responding to public health emergencies.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5722 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 28, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- 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 creating the health emergency response data system 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 2 206-c to read as follows: 3 § 206-c. Health emergency response data system. 1. a. The health emer- 4 gency response data system, referred to in this section as "HERDS", is 5 hereby created in the department. The HERDS shall collect information 6 and statistical data, referred to in this section as "HERDS informa- 7 tion", relating to public health emergencies and health care services 8 related to public health emergencies, in order to assist the department, 9 other government entities, health care providers, and the public in 10 understanding and responding to public health emergencies. 11 b. Individually identifiable HERDS information shall be kept confiden- 12 tial. HERDS information disclosed under this section shall be aggregated 13 so it cannot be individually identifiable, but it shall contain suffi- 14 cient detail, so it refers to specific geographic areas and hospitals, 15 as defined in article twenty-eight of this chapter. 16 c. The commissioner shall make regulations implementing this section. 17 2. a. The HERDS shall collect HERDS information, including from 18 surveys submitted by hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care 19 providers, as determined by the commissioner. 20 b. The HERDS shall be operated by the department, including the 21 collecting and making available information, in conjunction with and to 22 improve the department's fulfillment of its responsibilities under arti- 23 cles twenty-one and forty-one of this chapter. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00311-01-5 
 S. 5722 2 1 § 2. Paragraph b of subdivision 2 of section 206-c of the public 2 health law, as added by section one of this act, is amended to read as 3 follows: 4 b. HERDS shall make HERDS information available to government enti- 5 ties, health care providers, and the public, including posting on the 6 department's website, as soon and as close to real time as practicable 7 after it is collected but no later than seven days after it is received 8 by the department. 9 c. The HERDS shall be operated by the department, including the 10 collecting and making available information, in conjunction with and to 11 improve the department's fulfillment of its responsibilities under arti- 12 cles twenty-one and forty-one of this chapter. 13 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, 14 section two of this act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it 15 shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the commissioner of 16 health shall make regulations and take other actions reasonably neces- 17 sary to implement each section of this act on its effective date.