On July 2, at 11:30 pm, the historic Alternative Medical Practice Act was
passed by the NYS legislature, at the end of a tumultuous session. Several
weeks later, Governor Cuomo signed the bill into law. The votes in the Senate
and Assembly were virtually unanimous. The bill will protect unconventional
doctors from prosecution and beneÞt patients in search of medical freedom
of choice. The main provisions are:
It recognizes the role of legitimate non-conventional medical treatments.
It places two non-conventional physicians on the state Board of Medical
Conduct.
It promotes greater participation by these unconventional physicians
in handling misconduct cases involving clinical practice.
It directs a panel to study whether specialists should be consulted
in investigations of professional medical conduct.
The passage of this landmark New York State bill was a tremendous
victory for the alternative health movement. Credit goes to a broad
coalition of forces that has come together over the last Þve years and
that turned out in force for the hearings in Albany last Dec. 14 [C.C.
#19]. Particular credit goes to the Foundation for the Advancement
of Innovative Medicine (FAIM) and its dynamic lobbyist, Monica Miller.
They overcame opposition from the New York State health department.
New York is now the Þfth state since 1990 to enact such legislation,
following the lead of Alaska, Washington, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
This Albany victory may stimulate similar efforts in many other states,
including a key state, California, which currently has stringent anti-alternative
medicine laws on the books.
