On March 17, 2022, the provision of the New York HERO Act requiring masking has “ended” without it being renewed. Therefore, apart from those health care settings identified by the Commissioner of Health in her recent determination (March 2, 2022) which only applies to "facilities or entities regulated under Articles 28 [Hospitals], 36 [Home Health Care Services] and 40 [Hospices] of the Public Health Law," the mask requirement does not appear to apply to private practice settings in New York State.

New York State masking requirements continue to be in effect for health care settings, including chiropractic offices.

The Governor announced yesterday that the statewide mask mandate was lifted as of today. There were a number of exceptions to this, including for health care settings.

Earlier this week New York State's mask mandate was thrown into doubt when a judge In Nassau county ruled that the Governor did not have the authority to issue a mask mandate, temporarily rendering the mask order null and void.

New York State Department of Health Releases Updated Recommendations for Healthcare Workers Related to COVID-19 Exposure and Infection

What is the current quarantine guidance for fully vaccinated, asymptomatic healthcare providers who are exposed to COVID-19?

New York Governor Hochul issued a statewide mask mandate that take effect today, December 13, 2021. This mandate requires that all healthcare settings must continue to require masks be worn regardless of vaccination status. 

New York State Law requires that employers of one or more employees must conduct sexual harassment prevention training for all employees. Additionally, New York City Local Law 96 of 2018 requires employers with 15 or more employees are required to conduct annual sexual harassment prevention training for all employees. 

We are pleased to announce that registration is open for ACA Engage, which will take place in Washington, D.C., February 2-5, 2022. Looking forward to seeing everyone together again!

Back in August, New York had issued a vaccine mandate that applied to all healthcare workers in hospitals, long term care facilities and nursing homes. It required these facilities to develop and implement a policy requiring employee vaccinations, with limited exceptions for those with religious or medical reasons. According to the language as written, we did not believe this would apply to private office settings.

The following statement related to the federal mandate regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements was received by the NYSCA from the ACA on September 15, 2021 via email:

President Joe Biden on Thursday, 09/09/2021 imposed stringent new vaccine rules on federal workers, large employers, and health care staff in a sweeping attempt to contain the latest surge of Covid-19.

On September 6, 2021, Governor Hochul announced that the New York State Commissioner of Health officially designated COVID-19 as a highly contagious communicable disease that presents a serious risk of harm to the public health. This designation triggers the obligation for employers to implement their New York HERO Act plans. 

The New York State Department of Health has just released "Guidance for Facilities, Providers, and Local Health Departments Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine." Please note that chiropractors fall in outpatient care, which can begin receiving the vaccine in week 4, January 4, 2021.

As previously reported by the NYSCA, member DCs may have received funding from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) deposited into their bank accounts which is part of the CARES Act. These relief funds were allocated to healthcare providers on the front lines of the coronavirus response. Currently, Phase 3 of the CARES Act allows healthcare providers to request additional funds.

For more information on how to apply for Phase 3 General Funding, visit the HHS website: 
https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/for-providers/index.html

President Trump signed a bill into law on July 4 which created an extension to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) deadline for small businesses to apply for the program. This deadline which expired at the end of June 2020 under current law was extended to August 8, 2020. The PPP still had approximately $134 billion to give even as the deadline neared. 

As you are aware, “emergency chiropractic services” have been deemed an “essential business” during the COVID-19 pandemic.  We have been able to ascertain that the best interpretation of this language means, urgent and necessary chiropractic care.

As NY begins to reopen, there is some new guidance for operating a business as part of essential services. In summary, you must have a detailed safety plan and be following the phase one guidelines. 

Recently, DCs may have witnessed monies from HHS deposited into their bank accounts and should have received follow-up emails requesting that they “attest” in order to keep the funding. The NYSCA previously emailed the membership regarding the HHS funding, which is part of the CARES Act.

Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has issued an Executive Order directing employers to provide essential workers with cloth or surgical masks free of charge to wear when directly interacting with the public, effective tomorrow at 8pm.