§ 2500-M — Access to doulas

§ 2500-m. Access to doulas. (a) When a person is admitted to a\nmaternal health care facility for delivery and/or inpatient care\npost-delivery, such person may designate a doula to have access to such\nperson. The maternal health care facility shall not deny such person\naccess to such person's designated doula. For the purposes of this\nsection, the term "maternal health care facility" shall mean a hospital\nor freestanding birthing center providing perinatal services in\naccordance with article twenty-eight of this chapter and applicable\nregulations.\n (b) Nothing in this section shall require a maternal health care\nfacility to grant a doula access to a person or area of the facility\nduring emergencies or when such access could compromise the safety of\nthe patient or health care team.\n (c) The department shall require all maternal health care facilities\nto include and/or post on the maternal health care facility's webpage,\nlobby, and patient waiting areas information stating a birthing parent\nis allowed to have a doula present in the maternal health care facility\nfor delivery and/or inpatient care post-delivery. Such information shall\nbe written in layperson's language and shall be made available in\nEnglish and the six most common non-English languages spoken by\nindividuals with limited English proficiency in New York state as based\non the most recent census. The department shall produce and provide\nmaternal health care facilities with informational pamphlets stating a\nbirthing parent shall be allowed to have a doula present in the maternal\nhealth care facility for delivery and/or inpatient care post-delivery.\nThe informational pamphlet shall be: available in each patient waiting\narea as a printed deliverable; written in layperson's language; and made\navailable in English and the six most common non-English languages\nspoken by individuals with limited English proficiency in New York state\nas based on the most recent census.\n