2825-d. Health care facility transformation program: statewide. 1. A statewide health care facility transformation program is hereby established under the joint administration of the commissioner and the president of the dormitory authority of the state of New York for the purpose of strengthening and protecting continued access to health care services in communities. The program shall provide capital funding in support of projects that replace inefficient and outdated facilities as part of a merger, consolidation, acquisition or other significant corporate restructuring activity that is part of an overall transformation plan intended to create a financially sustainable system of care. The issuance of any bonds or notes hereunder shall be subject to section sixteen hundred eighty-r of the public authorities law and the approval of the director of the division of the budget, and any projects funded through the issuance of bonds or notes hereunder shall be approved by the New York state public authorities control board, as required under section fifty-one of the public authorities law.
2. The commissioner and the president of the authority shall enter into an agreement, subject to approval by the director of the budget, and subject to section sixteen hundred eighty-r of the public authorities law, for the purposes of awarding, distributing, and administering the funds made available pursuant to this section. Such funds may be distributed by the commissioner and the president of the authority for capital grants to general hospitals, residential health care facilities, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinics licensed pursuant to this chapter or the mental hygiene law, for capital non-operational works or purposes that support the purposes set forth in this section. A copy of such agreement, and any amendments thereto, shall be provided to the chair of the senate finance committee, the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, and the director of the division of budget no later than thirty days prior to the release of a request for applications for funding under this program. Priority shall be given to projects not funded, in whole or in part, under section twenty-eight hundred twenty-five or twenty-eight hundred twenty-five-c of this article. Projects awarded, in whole or part, under sections twenty-eight hundred twenty-five-a and twenty-eight hundred twenty-five-b of this article shall not be eligible for grants or awards made available under this section.
3. Notwithstanding section one hundred sixty-three of the state finance law or any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary, up to two hundred million dollars of the funds appropriated for this program shall be awarded without a competitive bid or request for proposal process for capital grants to health care providers (hereafter "applicants"). Provided however that a minimum of thirty million dollars of total awarded funds shall be made to community-based health care providers, which, for purposes of this section shall be defined as a diagnostic and treatment center licensed or granted an operating certificate under this article; a mental health clinic licensed or granted an operating certificate under article thirty-one of the mental hygiene law; an alcohol and substance abuse treatment clinic licensed or granted an operating certificate under article thirty-two of the mental hygiene law; primary care providers; or a home care provider certified or licensed pursuant to article thirty-six of this chapter. Eligible applicants shall be those deemed by the commissioner to be a provider that fulfills or will fulfill a health care need for acute inpatient, outpatient, primary, home care or residential health care services in a community.
4. In determining awards for eligible applicants under this section, the commissioner and the president of the authority shall consider criteria including, but not limited to:
(a) the extent to which the proposed capital project will contribute to the integration of health care services and long term sustainability of the applicant or preservation of essential health services in the community or communities served by the applicant;
(b) the extent to which the proposed project or purpose is aligned with delivery system reform incentive payment ("DSRIP") program goals and objectives;
(c) consideration of geographic distribution of funds;
(d) the relationship between the proposed capital project and identified community need;
(e) the extent to which the applicant has access to alternative financing;
(f) the extent that the proposed capital project furthers the development of primary care and other outpatient services;
(g) the extent to which the proposed capital project benefits Medicaid enrollees and uninsured individuals;
(h) the extent to which the applicant has engaged the community affected by the proposed capital project and the manner in which community engagement has shaped such capital project; and
(i) the extent to which the proposed capital project addresses potential risk to patient safety and welfare.
5. Disbursement of awards made pursuant to this section shall be conditioned on the awardee achieving certain process and performance metrics and milestones as determined in the sole discretion of the commissioner. Such metrics and milestones shall be structured to ensure that the health care transformation and provider sustainability goals of the project are achieved, and such metrics and milestones shall be included in grant disbursement agreements or other contractual documents as required by the commissioner.
6. The department shall provide a report on a quarterly basis to the chairs of the senate finance, assembly ways and means, senate health and assembly health committees. Such reports shall be submitted no later than sixty days after the close of the quarter, and shall include, for each award, the name of the applicant, a description of the project or purpose, the amount of the award, disbursement date, and status of achievement of process and performance metrics and milestones pursuant to subdivision five of this section.
Last modified: February 3, 2019