Let’s turn our attention to health care in an ongoing review of some of the major actions and significant achievements of this year’s session of the state Legislature.

From presidential politics to the tough choices faced by local governments every single day, there is no denying that the issue of health care is prominent on the public’s "to do" list. Here in the first decade of the 21st century, the challenges of health care -- its affordability, its accessibility, its quality -- .

Following is a review of some of the more noteworthy health care-related actions of the 2008 legislative session:

> Senate Bill Number 4617/Chapter 331 of the Laws of 2008 allows volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers to participate in certain public employee health insurance plans;

> Senate Bill Number 1608/Chapter 158 requires a registered nurse, qualified by training and experience in operating room nursing, to be present as a circulating nurse in any and each separate operating room where surgery is being performed for the duration of the operative procedure;

> Senate Bill Number 6527/Chapter 335 requires the state health commissioner to establish best practice protocols for the early screening of children for autism spectrum disorders;

> Senate Bill Number 7537/Chapter 203 expands the duties of the Interagency Geriatric Mental Health Planning Council to include chemical dependence and veterans issues

> Senate Bill Number 8637/Chapter 493 prohibits health care employers from forcing nurses to work overtime, except during emergencies and under other certain conditions;

> Senate Bill Number 7585, which has passed both houses of the Legislature (PBH) and will be delivered to the governor for final action, would authorize the "Omnibus Alzheimer’s Services Act of 2008" so that law enforcement officers could receive training related to adults with cognitive impairments and establish the "Silver Alert" program to help locate missing persons with cognitive impairments;

> Senate Bill Number 6385/PBH would expand and enhance the availability of health care coverage for small businesses and their employees by removing the requirement that a small business must not have offered health insurance for a 12-month period prior to application to the group health insurance program;

> Senate Bill Number 4675/PBH would permit health insurers and HMOs to offer a wellness program, in conjunction with group health insurance policies and subscriber contracts, in order to promote health and prevent disease through incentives for participation;

> Senate Bill Number 7033/PBH would establish state Office of Mental Hygiene regional Child Psychiatry Access Projects to provide primary care providers with timely access to child psychiatry consultations in order to assist them in meeting the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and their families;

> Senate Bill Number 3680/PBH would require the patient’s rights notification given by hospitals to include notice that a patient cannot be discriminated against because of age;

> Senate Bill Number 8449/PBH would enact the "New York Certified Aide Registry and Employment Search Act" to authorize the state Department of Health to develop and maintain a home care services worker registry of home care services workers;

> Senate Bill Number 1592/PBH would create a "cancer mapping program" in New York State to determine whether or not there are environmental, occupational, or social factors influencing the rate of cancer; and

> Senate Bill Number 7472/PBH would not consider the depreciation of assets of all self-employed individuals as income for purposes of determining eligibility for the Family Health Plus program.

As always, if you have any questions or would like additional information, contact my office in Bath (776-3201) or Elmira (732-2765), or through e-mail at my Web site: www.senatorwinner.com.