N.Y. Public Health Law § 201: Functions, powers and duties of the department

§ 201. Functions, powers and duties of the department. 1. The

department shall, as provided by law:

(a) supervise the work and activities of the local boards of health

and health officers throughout the state, unless otherwise provided by

law;

(b) supervise and control the registration of births, deaths and

marriages;

(c) supervise the reporting and control of disease;

(d) engage in research into morbidity and mortality;

(e) produce, standardize and distribute diagnostic, prophylactic and

therapeutic products;

(f) conduct laboratory examinations for the diagnosis and control of

disease;

(g) promote education in the prevention and control of disease;

(h) promote or provide diagnostic and therapeutic services for

maternal and child health, communicable disease, medical rehabilitation,

cancer and other conditions and diseases affecting public health;

(i) except as otherwise provided by law, license, supervise and

regulate maternity hospitals and homes and the occupation of midwifery;

(j) license, supervise and regulate the manufacture, distribution and

use of narcotics;

(k) maintain and operate such state hospitals, institutions, public

health centers and clinics as shall be established in the department;

(l) supervise and regulate the sanitary aspects of water supplies and

sewage disposal and control the pollution of waters of the state;

(m) supervise and regulate the sanitary aspects of camps, hotels,

boarding houses, public eating and drinking establishments, swimming

pools, bathing establishments and other businesses and activities

affecting public health and, in relation to hotels, boarding houses and

temporary residences as defined in the state sanitary code, inspect such

facilities (i) where inspections do not otherwise occur under the state

uniform fire prevention and building code, (ii) to respond to

complaints, or (iii) when otherwise necessary;

(n) exercise control over and supervise the abatement of nuisances

affecting or likely to affect public health;

(o) advise any local unit of government and the public health

officials thereof within the state, in the performance of their official

duties and regulate the financial assistance granted by the state in

connection with all public health activities;

(p) receive and expend funds made available for public health purposes

pursuant to law;

(q) license, supervise and regulate the practice of funeral directing

and embalming;

(r) supervise and regulate the public health aspects of ionizing

radiation and nonionizing electromagnetic radiation; and may in its

discretion license activities within the state affecting or likely to

affect public health and relating to radioactive materials, excluding

special nuclear materials in quantities sufficient to form a critical

mass and excluding the handling and disposal of radioactive wastes and

the release of radioactivity to the environment regulated by the state

department of environmental conservation;

(s) administer to the medical and health needs of the ambulant sick

and needy Indians on the reservations;

(u) engage in research into the causes of rocky mountain spotted fever

and the prevention thereof and develop programs for the control of

ticks, insects and anthropods which act as vectors of disease affecting

man, within funds made available for such purposes.

(v) act as the single state agency for medical assistance pursuant to

section three hundred sixty-three-a of the social services law, as

amended by this chapter, with responsibility to supervise the plan for

medical assistance as required by title XIX of the federal Social

Security act, or its successor, and to adopt regulations as may be

necessary to implement this plan.

(w) make available to the council on children and families

information, in a format identified by the council, regarding home

visiting programs that meet the criteria as required by section four

hundred twenty-nine of the social services law regardless of whether

such program has a contract with or receive funding from the state. Such

information shall be provided in accordance with the requirements set

forth in subdivision two of section four hundred eighty-three-h of the

social services law. Such information shall be made available no less

than once a year.

(x) produce an annual report analyzing the costs related to the sexual

assault examination direct reimbursement program as created under

subdivision thirteen of section six hundred thirty-one of the executive

law and provide such report to the office of victim services on or

before September first of each year. Such report shall be provided to

the governor, temporary president of the senate and the speaker of the

assembly.

(y) To develop a form by which a coroner, coroner's physician or

medical examiner, pursuant to section six hundred seventy-seven of the

county law, shall report to the division of veterans' services any death

which appears to be caused by suicide by a person who, to the knowledge

of the coroner, coroner's physician or medical examiner, is a veteran.

This form shall at a minimum: (i) ensure compliance with the strictest

privacy protections and encourage data aggregation to the extent

feasible; (ii) provide the address to which the form is to be mailed or

submitted electronically; and (iii) include the county of residence and

the branch of service of deceased veterans during the reporting period.

2. The department shall continue to exercise all of the functions,

powers and duties which have been prescribed by law and which are being

exercised by it when this chapter takes effect together with such

functions, powers and duties as hereafter may be conferred and imposed

upon it by law.

3. All the provisions of this chapter shall apply to the department

continued by this chapter and to the commissioner, the public health

council and any successor council, and to the divisions, bureaus and

officers in such department.