New York Consolidated Laws, Mental Hygiene Law - MHY § 80.01 Legislative findings and purpose

The legislature hereby finds and declares that timely access to health care for people who are mentally disabled is an important objective for New York state;  that the autonomy of persons with decision-making capacity to make health care decisions for themselves must be respected;  and that, in cases involving persons with impaired decision-making capacity, efforts should be made to ensure that health care decisions are based on the best interests of the patient and reflect, to the extent possible, the patient's own personal beliefs and values.  The legislature further finds that the exclusive utilization of judicial authorization to obtain consent for medical care for the mentally disabled has in some cases resulted in undue delay in the provision of necessary care, needlessly jeopardizing the health of the mentally disabled.  The legislature further finds and declares that the public interest will be served by the establishment of a statewide quasi-judicial surrogate decision-making process, which would determine patient capacity to consent to or refuse medical treatment and assess whether the proposed treatment promotes the patient's best interests, consistent with the patient's values and preferences.  The process will strengthen the surrogate decision-making role of parents and other family members, while assuring that those individuals without available family members have access to medical care.