Advocacy
This fall the IHA team has been hard at work continuing our advocacy related to bills like the LICH Act, a hospital closure notice bill and the third passage of wrongful death legislation. Likewise we are making preparations for the New Year, a new state legislative session, a new session of Congress and a new Presidential administration. As the New Year approaches, we will be working to meet new legislators and their staff to ensure they are well aware of the needs of hospitals in Upstate and Rural New York.
In very recent weeks, the IHA team met with the Director of the Division of Budget, the chairs of both health committees, the Ways and Means Secretary, Senate Finance Staff, and the Governor’s Office, and held a joint press conference with the Upstate Assembly Delegation.
On December 9, IHA convened the third annual winter press conference in joined by AnneMarie Czyz, CEO of Rome Health and the Upstate Assembly Delegation. This is a critically important event, held several weeks prior to the start of the new session to ensure that the needs of Upstate are top of mind for legislators. We highlighted data citing the need to continue to ensure hospitals receive Medicaid rates increases and supportive funding including VAP, VAPAP, DPT and distressed hospital funding.
Presenting a united front with the support of the Upstate Delegation helps to elevate our issues early in the conversation while the Governor is still putting together her budget and the legislature is organizing its work and priorities for the new session. This helps ensure that the needs of Upstate and rural care will not be lost. The event received broad media attention by several news outlets across the state.
On Thursday, December 19th IHA hosted a Chief Nursing Officer Advocacy day. We had meetings with legislators and staff to discuss the state of staffing vacancies across our membership, issues related to clinical staffing committees, the need to address broadening the scope of practice for several professionals and the immediate need for improvement in aging infrastructure. The importance of the impact of nurse leaders communicating with policymakers about the day-to-day successes, challenges and needs they have cannot be overstated.
2025 Budget & Legislative Session
The 2025 legislative session is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, January 8. The Governor will deliver her State of the State Address on January 14. It is expected that her budget proposal will be released on or about a January 21. Lawmakers will work to pass the final budget by April 1.
2025 Priorities
Our 2025 priorities focus on sustainable funding, workforce legislation, and innovative investments. See our full priorities document here. Please use this resource as a template for your own advocacy conversations.
We are advocating for:
Sustainable Funding
- The immediate release of the funds appropriated in the SFY 2024-2025 budget
- Keep intact enacted increases
- Oppose Medicaid cuts
- 340B Anti-Discrimination legislation
- VAP & VAPAP
- DPT
Addressing the Healthcare Worker Shortage
- Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact
- Temporary Practice Authorization
- Workplace Violence Legislation
- Efforts to broaden scopes of practice
Investments in Innovation
- Include hospitals in economic development planning
- “Take A Look” Program
- Funding for Office of Healthcare Workforce Innovation
- Capital funding to address aging infrastructure