2023 New York Laws › PBH - Public Health › Article 25-A - Reproductive Health Act › 2599-BB-1 - Reproductive Freedom and Equity Grant Program.

§ 2599-bb-1. Reproductive freedom and equity grant program. 1. As used
in this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
(a)  "Abortion"  shall  mean  the termination of pregnancy pursuant to
section twenty-five hundred ninety-nine-bb of this article.
(b) "Health care services" shall mean the range of care related to the
provision of abortion.
(c) "Program" shall mean the reproductive  freedom  and  equity  grant
program established pursuant to subdivision two of this section.
2.  There  is  hereby  established  in  the  department a reproductive
freedom and equity grant program to ensure access to  abortion  care  in
the  state.  The program shall provide funding to abortion providers and
non-profit organizations that provide or facilitate access  to  abortion
care.  The  program  shall  be  designed  to provide support to abortion
providers and non-profit organizations to increase access to care,  fund
uncompensated  care,  and  to  address  the support needs of individuals
accessing abortion care. Funding used to support the  program  shall  be
subject to appropriation.
3.   The  commissioner  shall  distribute  funds  made  available  for
expenditure under this section. In determining  funding  for  applicants
under  the  grant program, the commissioner shall consider the following
criteria and goals:
(a) Increase access to  care  by  growing  the  capacity  of  abortion
providers to meet present and future care needs. Funds may be awarded to
support  the  recruitment, hiring, and retention of clinical and medical
staff, costs of increasing the number of hours, days,  and/or  alternate
times for currently employed clinical staff to provide increased access,
care  management  and navigation, staff training, outreach and marketing
costs, and other operational needs  that  increase  access  to  abortion
care.
(b)  Fund  uncompensated health care services associated with abortion
care, to ensure the affordability of and access to care for  individuals
who  lack  ability  to  pay for care, for individuals who lack insurance
coverage, are underinsured, or whose insurance is deemed unusable by the
rendering provider.
4. In establishing and operating the  program,  the  commissioner  may
consult  a range of experts including but not limited to individuals and
entities providing abortion care, abortion funds and other organizations
whose mission is to expand  access  to  abortion  care,  to  ensure  the
program  structure  and  expenditures  reflect  the  needs  of  abortion
providers, abortion funds  and  consumers.  The  commissioner  may  make
regulations necessary for implementing the program.
5. The department and any non-profit organization or abortion provider
receiving  funds  from  the  program  shall  take all necessary steps to
ensure  the  confidentiality  of  the  individuals  receiving   services
pursuant  to  state  and  federal  laws.  The  commissioner  may request
aggregate,  de-identified  information  about  how   funding   allocated
pursuant  to  the  program is spent, provided that no information which,
alone or in  combination,  would  permit  a  patient,  provider,  or  an
individual  who  sought,  received,  provided,  or supported health care
services under the program to be identified may be requested or shared.