January 9, 2026 News Headlines

In a story published in Empire Report, HANYS President Bea Grause, RN, JD, explains why lawmakers must act now to protect access to healthcare for all New Yorkers and shares three commonsense policies they should enact this year.

View the full list of HANYS’ and HTNYS’ 2026 board of trustees officers, executive committee and members, who began their terms Jan. 1. We thank these healthcare leaders for their continued dedication to strengthening and improving healthcare in New York state!

HANYS’ Community Health Improvement Award recognizes programs that target specific community health needs while emphasizing the importance of health equity, leadership, collaboration with diverse community partners and achieving quantifiable results. Nominate one of your organization’s successful community health initiatives by Feb. 18!

HANYS’ Member Updates this week include recent federal actions, key dates for the New York State Legislative session and SED proposed amendments to BSN in 10 requirements. See more updates on our website.

This week the following bills were signed into law:

• Trapped at work (Chapter 643 of the Laws of 2025)
• Legally protected health activity (Chapter 694 of the Laws of 2025)
• Nursing home worker recruitment and safety fund (Chapter 695 of the Laws of 2025)
• Sexual assault reporting requirement (Chapter 646 of the Laws of 2025)

The following bills were vetoed:

• Licensed creative art therapists reimbursement (commercial) (Veto No. 124)
• Hospital closures and service reductions (Veto No. 137)
• Third-party defendant recovery (Veto No. 146)
• New York Health Information Privacy Act (Veto No. 135)
• Prohibiting of new for-profit hospices (Veto No. 118)

Please use our State Legislation Tracker to see which bills of interest passed both houses, were signed into law or vetoed during the 2025 session.

The AHA released the second chapter of its triannual national governance report that focuses on board culture, evaluation and performance oversight. Download a PDF of the December edition of Trends to see how your board compares to national trends.

Vital Skills for Effective Leadership
Jan. 13-March 3

HANYS Sepsis Program: Harnessing the CDC Core Elements to improve sepsis survivor outcomes
Jan. 14

5S in healthcare: Practical foundations for organizing, standardizing and sustaining work
Jan. 15

Epic EMR Workgroup
Jan 15

Government relations update
Jan. 16

Fiscal policy update call
Jan. 22

Nursing home survey readiness: Improving compliance using critical element pathways
Jan. 22

Future federal sepsis quality measures
Jan. 29