§ 2 — Declaration of policy and statement of purposes

§ 2. Declaration of policy and statement of purposes. The protection\nand promotion of the health of the inhabitants of the state are matters\nof public concern. In furtherance of this purpose, it is the policy of\nthe state to encourage the prompt and efficient provision of health and\nhealth-related services at a reasonable cost by the private and public\nsectors in modern, well-equipped health facilities accessible to the\ncommunities to be served.\n The leglislature has heretofore found that a serious shortage of safe\nand sanitary nursing home accommodations exists in many communities\nthroughout the state; that many hospitals and other health facilities\nthroughout the state are no longer adequate to meet the needs of modern\nmedicine; that such inadequate and outmoded facilities deny to the\npeople of the state the benefits of health care of the highest quality\nand that their replacement and modernization is essential to protect and\nprolong the lives of the state's population. The legislature has\nheretofore found and declared that the accomplishment of these purposes\ncannot be readily achieved by the ordinary unaided operation of private\nenterprise and to this end has constituted and empowered the New York\nstate housing finance agency, a multi-purpose corporate governmental\nagency of the state, to obtain funds through the issuance of its notes\nand bonds to finance the construction, acquisition, reconstruction,\nrehabilitation and improvement of a broad array of health facilities in\naddition to issuing its notes and bonds to carry out other program\nresponsibilities which touch on the quality of life for the vast\nmajority of the state's residents, including the providing of housing\nfor persons of low income, higher educational facilities for the state\nuniversity of New York, mental health facilities, child care facilities\nand facilities for the care of senior citizens.\n The public purposes heretofore enumerated have not yet been fully\naccomplished despite the significant investment of funds through the New\nYork state housing finance agency in the construction of hospitals,\nnursing homes and health-related facilities.\n In order to permit an acceleration in the implementation of these\nprograms in areas where the public need remains urgent, without\njeopardizing the orderly marketing by the New York state housing finance\nagency of its notes and bonds for other program purposes, it is hereby\nfound and declared that a separate corporate governmental agency, to be\nknown as the "New York state medical care facilities finance agency,"\nshould be created as a single purpose agency to act in concert with the\nNew York state housing finance agency and to devote its entire energy\nand resources to the provision of additional funds for the construction\nof health and health-related facilities by nursing home companies\ncreated pursuant to the provisions of article twenty-eight-A of the\npublic health law, by hospitals and non-profit medical corporations\nconstituting eligible borrowers pursuant to the provisions of article\ntwenty-eight-B of the public health law and by municipalities\nconstituting social services districts pursuant to the provisions of the\nhealth and mental hygiene facilities improvement act. In this manner,\nthe broadest possible base of investment by the greatest number of the\ngeneral public may be had and the initiative and strength of our private\nenterprise economy may most readily be harnessed for the benefit of the\npeople of the state.\n Prompt provision of well-equipped, modern hospitals, schools and other\nfacilities related to the care, maintenance and treatment of mentally\nill and developmentally disabled persons is also needed in the state. In\norder to encourage the investment of private capital in such hospitals,\nschools and other mental health services facilities and to assure their\ntimely construction, acquisition, reconstruction, rehabilitation and\nimprovement, or the refinancing thereof, the New York state medical care\nfacilities finance agency should be empowered, through the issuance of\nits bonds, notes or other obligations to the private investing public,\nto obtain all or a portion of the funds necessary to finance the same\nand to meet the needs of patients and staff at such facilities.\n It is frequently appropriate to combine and coordinate the\ndevelopment, rehabilitation and provision of housing with the\ndevelopment, rehabilitation and provision of health and health related\nfacilities such as intermediate care, skilled nursing, aged treatment,\nand hospice facilities for which there is also a need. In order to\nencourage the investment of private capital in non-profit housing and\nhealth facilities, and to assure the expeditious completion of such\nfacilities, the New York state medical care facilities finance agency\nshould be empowered, through the issuance of its bonds, notes or other\nobligations to the private investing public, to obtain funds necessary\nto finance loans, for the construction, acquisition, reconstruction,\nrehabilitation or improvement of such facilities.\n