2020 New York Laws
MHY - Mental Hygiene
Title B - Mental Health Act
Article 7 - Office of Mental Health
7.48 - Frontline Workers Trauma Informed Care Advisory Council.

§ 7.48 Frontline workers trauma informed care advisory council.
(a)  The  commissioner  shall  establish  the  frontline  workers trauma
informed care advisory council within  the  office.  The  council  shall
consist  of,  at a minimum, the commissioner or his or her designee; the
commissioner of the department of health or his  or  her  designee;  the
commissioner  of  aging  or his or her designee; the commissioner of the
office  for  people  with  developmental  disabilities  or  his  or  her
designee;  the  commissioner  of  the  office for addiction services and
supports or his or her designee; the commissioner of the  department  of
corrections and community supervision; the commissioner of the office of
children and family services or his or her designee; the commissioner of
the  department of labor or his or her designee; a representative of the
state conference of local mental hygiene service  directors  as  created
under  article  forty-one  of  this  chapter;  and twenty-one additional
members of which seven shall be appointed by the governor, six shall  be
appointed  by  the  speaker  of the assembly, six shall appointed by the
temporary president of the senate, and one each shall  be  appointed  by
the  minority  leader  of  the  assembly  and the senate. Each appointed
member shall be a representative of one of the following: (1) behavioral
health advocacy organizations; (2) health care  provider  organizations;
(3)  employee  organizations  representing  nurses,  doctors,  and other
frontline workers;  (4)  human  service  providers,  including  but  not
limited  to  a human service provider as defined pursuant to subdivision
four of section four hundred sixty-four-b of the  social  services  law;
(5)  law  enforcement  agencies;  (6)  individuals who have expertise in
fields of discipline related to trauma  informed  care;  and  any  other
group,  association,  organization,  or individual deemed appropriate by
the commissioner. For purposes of this section, frontline workers  shall
include,  but  shall  not  be  limited  to,  healthcare  workers,  first
responders, direct care workers, public safety  workers,  transportation
workers, food service workers and others who have been exposed to trauma
associated  with  the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic while in the
line of duty.
  (b) Council members shall receive no compensation for  their  services
as  members  of  the  council,  but  shall  be reimbursed for actual and
necessary expenses incurred in the  performance  of  their  duties.  The
members  of  the  council shall choose one member of the council to be a
chairperson and one member to be co-chairperson.
  (c) The council  shall  be  established  within  thirty  days  of  the
effective date of this section.
  (d) The council shall:
  (1)  Identify  evidence-based  tools  to  track the impact of COVID-19
associated collective trauma and the needs of frontline workers;
  (2) Identify or develop training opportunities for organizations  that
employ  frontline  workers  on  how  to  support  the  mental health and
wellness of their impacted employees;
  (3) Identify evidenced-based  trauma-informed  support  resources  and
learning opportunities for frontline workers;
  (4)  Identify  or  develop  a  mechanism  to inform and refer impacted
frontline workers experiencing  symptoms  associated  with  COVID-19  to
behavioral health services and supports;
  (5)  Consult  with  any  organization,  government  entity, agency, or
person that the council determines may be able  to  provide  information
and  expertise  on the development and implementation of trauma informed
care for frontline workers; and
  (6) Submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the assembly,  and
the  temporary  president  of the senate by December first, two thousand
twenty  on   the   duties   described   in   this   section,   including

recommendations  to  effectively  implement any initiative identified or
developed by the workgroup and included in its report.
  (e)  To  the  extent federal funds are available, grants shall be made
available  to  entities  that  employ   frontline   workers   or   other
organizations   with  relevant  experience,  for  the  sole  purpose  of
providing support and implementing strategies or initiatives  identified
by  the  frontline  workers  trauma  informed  care  workgroup for their
workforce.