Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health Equity topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council considers bills to require hospitals post transgender patient rights and report on staff training
Summary
Introductions 628a and 629a would require hospitals to post signs describing transgender patient rights (preferred name, title, pronoun) and for DOHMH to report annually on hospital training for care of transgender patients.
The City Council heard from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams on Aug. 14 regarding two related bills—Introduction 628a and Introduction 629a—focused on transgender patients’ rights and hospital training.
Introduction 628a would require the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to design and distribute signs to hospitals describing transgender patients’ rights, including the right to be referred to by preferred name, title, gender and pronoun, and to make such signs available to city hospitals. DOHMH would coordinate with hospitals to identify services available to meet transgender patients’ specific needs, including gender-affirming health care. The bill as described does not mandate specific services; rather, it mandates signage and coordination.
Introduction 629a would require the DOHMH commissioner to report annually on training provided by hospitals to medical staff regarding medical care for transgender individuals.
Public Advocate Williams framed the bills as local responses to a national environment of restrictions and hostility toward transgender people and said local governments must enhance protections and reduce barriers that deter transgender New Yorkers from seeking care. The transcript shows both bills were on the floor for a vote; the excerpt does not include the voting outcomes.
