NY Pub Health L § 2542 (2021)
2021 New York Laws PBH - Public Health Article 25 - Maternal and Child Health Title 2-A - Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities and Their Families 2542 - Comprehensive Child Find System and Public Awareness Program.

§  2542. Comprehensive child find system and public awareness program. 1. The commissioner shall develop a comprehensive child find system that ensures that eligible children in the  state  are  identified,  located, referred  to the early intervention official and evaluated.  Such system shall:  (a) require  early  intervention  officials  to  identify  and  locate eligible children within their municipality;  (b) be coordinated with efforts to identify, locate and track children conducted  by  other  agencies  responsible  for services to infants and toddlers and their families, including the efforts in (i) part B of  the federal  individuals  with  disabilities  education act, including early childhood direction centers, (ii) the maternal and child health  program under  title  V of the federal social security act, including the infant health assessment program, (iii) medicaid's  early  periodic  screening, diagnosis  and  treatment  program under title XIX of the federal social security act, and (iv) the federal supplemental security income program; and  (c) provide for the identification, tracking and screening of children at risk of developmental delay, using resources  available  through  the programs, identified in paragraph (b) of this subdivision and such other available resources as the commissioner shall commit to this purpose.   2.  The  commissioner  shall develop, implement, and maintain a public awareness program to inform the  general  public  and  the  professional community  of the availability of the early intervention program and the benefits of services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The program shall include materials which describe the  normal developmental   achievements   of  young  children,  identification  and procedures for referral of children with disabilities, and how  to  gain access to early intervention services.   3.  The  following  persons  and  entities, within two working days of identifying an infant or toddler suspected of having a disability or  at risk  of  having a disability, shall refer such infant or toddler to the early intervention official or the health officer of the  public  health district  in  which  the infant or toddler resides, as designated by the municipality, but in no event over the objection of the parent  made  in accordance with procedures established by the department for use by such primary  referral  sources,  unless the child has already been referred: hospitals, child health care providers, day care programs, local  school districts,  public  health facilities, early childhood direction centers and such other social service and health care agencies and providers  as the  commissioner  shall  specify in regulation; provided, however, that the department shall  establish  procedures,  including  regulations  if required,  to ensure that primary referral sources adequately inform the parent or guardian  about  the  early  intervention  program,  including through  brochures  and  written  materials  created  or approved by the department.   4. The commissioner shall provide  each  early  intervention  official with  a  list of all approved evaluators and service coordinators in the municipality or geographic area proximate to such municipality or,  with respect  to the city of New York, subdivisions of the city as prescribed by the commissioner.   Such list of approved evaluators shall be updated  at  least  annually and  shall  describe  the  specific areas of expertise of each qualified evaluator, if known.