Loading chat...
NY A04377
Bill
Status
2/14/2023
Primary Sponsor
Phillip Steck
Click for details
AI Summary
-
Requires mental health practitioners (physicians, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, nurse practitioners, and clinical social workers) to make timely and reasonable efforts to reduce or eliminate risk of harm when a patient directly communicates a threat of serious, imminent harm to themselves or a readily identifiable person, provided the threat includes both serious intent and ability to carry it out.
-
Authorizes mental health practitioners to take reasonable protective actions including modifying treatment, initiating hospitalization procedures, notifying intended victims, or notifying law enforcement officials.
-
Protects mental health practitioners from civil and criminal liability, including unprofessional conduct charges, when they reasonably and in good faith disclose or withhold confidential patient information in accordance with this section.
-
Exempts practitioners from any obligation to take actions that would endanger themselves or increase danger to potential victims based on reasonable professional judgment.
-
Takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Legislative Description
Imposes a duty to protect upon mental health practitioners; requires reasonable efforts to modify aspects of treatment in order to reduce or eliminate the risk of harm, initiating procedures for hospitalization, notifying the intended victim or victims, or notifying law enforcement officials when a person directly communicates a threat of serious, imminent harm to self or against a readily identifiable person or persons, and the threat includes both a serious intent to act and the ability to carry out the threat; does not require a mental health practitioner to take any action which, in the exercise of reasonable professional judgment, would endanger such mental health practitioner or increase the danger to a potential victim or victims.
Last Action
referred to mental health
1/3/2024