N.Y. Public Health Law § 2710: Legislative findings and purposes

§ 2710. Legislative findings and purposes. It is hereby declared and

found that one of the major problems facing medicine and the public

health and welfare is the lack of trained individuals, available

facilities, research and equipment for the discovery, evaluation,

diagnosis, treatment and cure of kidney disease. It is estimated that

more than two thousand people die in New York state each year from

kidney failure. No parallel situation in medicine exists today where

techniques have been developed for the diagnosis and prevention of

disease which would save lives, yet at the same time people continue to

progress to chronic kidney disease and death only for the lack of

facilities for diagnosis and treatment. New York state must take the

initiative to combat this indiscriminate and often needless killer.

Basic research is needed into the nature of diseases of the kidneys and

the problems of kidney transplantation; in developing mass testing

procedures for the early detection of kidney disease; and for the

development of more effective and economical devices for blood

purification. An intensive survey of state-wide needs and facilities is

necessary to formulate a long-range program for the state.

It is imperative that a comprehensive program to combat kidney disease

be implemented through the combined and correlated efforts of state and

local governments, medicine, universities, non-profit organizations and

individuals. The program provided by this article is designed to bring

to bear all the possible resources of the state and to coordinate the

efforts of the state in this vital matter of public health.