The mini grants would be available to churches and faith communities, corporations, hospice and palliative care organizations, hospitals, social service organizations, state agencies or Veteran organizations.

The Importance of Caregivers Role Now in Law

Governor Cuomo signed the CARE ACT (Caregiver Advise, Record and Enable Act) into law on October 27th, 2016. The law went into effect April 26th.   The CARE Act insures that caregivers of loved ones who are hospitalized will be given the support and education that they need to provide quality "After Care" at home and reduce the risk of repeat admissions to a hospital.

Very often when patients are discharged from a hospital, they require After Care that is provided by family or friends.  Caregivers are asked to provide basic assistance as well as many other complex tasks including operation of medical equipment, wound care and medication administration and management.

The new law provides the following:

*         allows a patient (over 18) an opportunity to designate upon admission to a hospital, a caregiver;

*         requires a hospital to notify and offer to meet with the designated caregiver to discuss the patient's plan of care prior to the patient's discharge or transfer to another facility;

*         As soon as  possible and not later than twenty-four hours prior to a patient's discharge from a hospital, the hospital must  consult with the identified caregiver  along with the patient regarding  the  caregiver's  capabilities  and limitations  and  issue  a  discharge  plan  that  describes a patient's after-care needs at his or her residence; and

*         The hospital issuing the discharge plan must offer caregivers with instruction in all after-care tasks described in the discharge plan.