A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring information on medical health services in shelters

Int. No. 929-A

By Council Members Johnson, Chin, Eugene, Koo, Rose, Rodriguez, Levin, Cohen, Kallos, Menchaca and Wills

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring information on medical health services in shelters

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Chapter 3 of title 21 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-317 to read as follows:

§ 21-317 Medical and mental health services in shelters. a. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Adult.  The term “adult” means any person who is 18 years of age or older.

Adult families. The term "adult families" means families comprised of adults and no children.

Children. The term “children” means one or more persons under 21 years of age.

Domestic violence shelter. The term “domestic violence shelter” means facilities operated by the department of social services or by a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department of social services to provide shelter for victims of domestic violence.

Drop-in center. The term “drop-in center” means facilities operated by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department that provide single adults with hot meals, showers, laundry facilities, clothing, medical care, recreational space, employment referrals and/or housing placement services, but not overnight housing.

Families with children. The term “families with children" means families with adults and children, couples including at least one pregnant woman, single pregnant women, or parents or grandparents with a pregnant individual.

HASA facility. The term “HASA facility” means single room occupancy hotels or congregate facilities managed by a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department of social services to provide shelter for recipients of services from the HIV/AIDS services administration.

Homeless adult. The term “homeless adult” means an individual with an address listed in SPARCS that is a known shelter, or an individual who is listed as homeless or undomiciled.

Intake center. The term “intake center” means the facilities where individuals or families must apply for shelter with the department.

New to the shelter system. The term “new to the shelter system” means an individual who has never lived in a shelter or who has not lived in a shelter for the previous 12 months.

New York state department of health statewide planning and research cooperate system (SPARCS). The term “New York State department of health statewide planning and research cooperate system (SPARCS)” means the New York administrative hospital discharge database.

Safe Haven. The term “safe haven” means facilities operated by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department that provide low-threshold, harm-reduction housing to chronic street homeless individuals, who are referred to such facilities through a department outreach program, without the obligation of entering into other supportive and rehabilitative services in order to reduce barriers to temporary housing.

Shelter. The term “shelter” means temporary emergency housing provided to homeless single adults, adult families, and families with children by the department or a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department.

Single adults. The term "single adult" means individuals without an accompanying adult or child.

b. Not later than September 1, 2018, and no later than  September 1 annually thereafter, the department shall submit to the speaker of the council and post on its website a report regarding information on medical health services provided to homeless individuals for the preceding calendar year. The first such report shall be preliminary, and limited to the data reasonably available to the department for the preceding calendar year. Such reports shall include, but not be limited to, the following information and shall be disaggregated by whether such medical health services are provided to single adults, adult families or families with children:

1. The number of shelters, domestic violence shelters, and HASA facilities with on-site medical health services, as well as the total number of shelters, domestic violence shelters and HASA facilities;

2. A description of the medical health services in each intake center;

3. A description of the medical health services provided at drop-in centers and safe havens;

4. A description of the medical health services provided to the unsheltered homeless population, including but not limited to the number of clients served by a provider under contract or similar agreement with the department to provide medical health services to the unsheltered homeless population, and the number of clients transported to the hospital;

5. A list of the 10 most common medical health issues for adults living in shelters, as self-reported at intake/assessment, and the 10 most common medical health issues for children living in shelters, as self-reported at intake/assessment;

6. A list of the 10 most common medical health issues for adults living in shelters and the 10 most common medical health issues for children living in shelters, as reported by providers under contract or similar agreement with the department to provide medical services in shelter;

7. The number of individuals new to the shelter system discharged from a hospital to a shelter;

8. The number of individuals new to the shelter system discharged from a nursing home to a shelter;

9. Any metrics relevant to the provision of medical health services reported to the department by any entity providing such services; and

10. No later than September 1, 2020 and every three years thereafter, the most frequent causes of hospitalizations, excluding HIV or AIDS, for homeless adults based on information available through SPARCS.

§ 2. This local law takes effect immediately.

AV

LS #4514

5/2/17, 10:51am