New York’s State of Disaster Emergency

Image by Ante Samarzija via Unsplash

In November of 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul enacted a statewide disaster emergency declaration at the start of an outbreak of the highly transmissible omicron coronavirus variant, in an effort to better support patients and hospital staff. Most notably, the declaration allowed for out-of-state nurses to begin working in the state of New York without waiting the weeks or months typically required to acquire proper licensure. This was the state’s attempt to remedy a nursing shortage that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Since the emergency declaration’s initial enactment in 2021, Governor Hochul has issued several extensions to the declaration, with the most recent extension upholding New York’s state of disaster emergency through July 14th, 2022.

On this podcast, registered nurse Diana Mason, PhD., RN, hosts Dr. Nicolette Fiore-Lopez, Chief Nursing Officer at St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, New York; and current President of the New York Organization of Nurse Executives & Leaders (NYONEL); along with Dr. Kate Valcin, President-Elect of the NYONEL; and Director of Adult Critical Care Nursing at University of Rochester Medical Center.

At the time of this podcast’s first airing, Governor Kathy Hochul had just issued the first extension of the statewide disaster emergency declaration. Dr. Diana Mason, Dr. Nicolette Fiore-Lopez, and Dr. Kate Valcin discuss why Hochul issued this extension, and what changes New York’s healthcare providers and patients can expect to see. 

This podcast first aired on HealthCetera in the Catskills on WIOX Radio on December 1st, 2021.

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Image by Ante Samarzija via Unsplash In November