§ 2825-e. Health care facility transformation program: statewide II. 1. A statewide health care facility transformation program is hereby established under the joint administration of the commissioner and the president of the dormitory authority of the state of New York for the purpose of strengthening and protecting continued access to health care services in communities. The program shall provide funding in support of capital projects, debt retirement, working capital or other non-capital projects that facilitate health care transformation activities including, but not limited to, merger, consolidation, acquisition or other activities intended to create financially sustainable systems of care or preserve or expand essential health care services. Grants shall not be available to support general operating expenses. The issuance of any bonds or notes hereunder shall be subject to § 1680-r of the public authorities law and the approval of the director of the division of the budget, and any projects funded through the issuance of bonds or notes hereunder shall be approved by the New York state public authorities control board, as required under § 51 of the public authorities law.

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2. The commissioner and the president of the dormitory authority shall enter into an agreement, subject to approval by the director of the budget, and subject to § 1680-r of the public authorities law, for the purposes of awarding, distributing, and administering the funds made available pursuant to this section. Such funds may be distributed by the commissioner for capital grants to general hospitals, residential health care facilities, diagnostic and treatment centers and clinics licensed pursuant to this chapter or the mental hygiene law, and community-based health care providers as defined in subdivision three of this section for works or purposes that support the purposes set forth in this section. A copy of such agreement, and any amendments thereto, shall be provided to the chair of the senate finance committee, the chair of the assembly ways and means committee, and the director of the division of the budget no later than thirty days prior to the release of a request for applications for funding under this program. Priority shall be given to new applications for projects not funded under section twenty-eight hundred twenty-five-d of this article. Projects awarded, in whole or part, under sections twenty-eight hundred twenty-five-a and twenty-eight hundred twenty-five-b of this article shall not be eligible for grants or awards made available under this section.

3. Notwithstanding § 163 of the state finance law or any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary, up to five hundred million dollars of the funds appropriated for this program shall be awarded without a competitive bid or request for proposal process for grants to health care providers (hereafter "applicants"). Provided, however, that a minimum of seventy-five million dollars of total awarded funds shall be made to community-based health care providers, which for purposes of this section shall be defined as a diagnostic and treatment center licensed or granted an operating certificate under this article; a mental health clinic licensed or granted an operating certificate under Article thirty-one of the mental hygiene law; an alcohol and substance abuse treatment clinic licensed or granted an operating certificate under Article thirty-two of the mental hygiene law; a primary care provider or a home care provider certified or licensed pursuant to article thirty-six of this chapter; or other purposes and community-based providers designated by the commissioner pursuant to information obtained pursuant to subdivision four-a of this section. Eligible applicants shall be those deemed by the commissioner to be a provider that fulfills or will fulfill a health care need for acute inpatient, outpatient, primary, home care or residential health care services in a community.

4. Notwithstanding subdivision two of this section or any inconsistent provision of law to the contrary, and upon approval of the director of the budget, the commissioner may award up to three hundred million dollars of the funds made available pursuant to this section for unfunded project applications submitted in response to the request for applications number 1607010255 issued by the department on July twentieth, two thousand sixteen pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred twenty-five-d of this article, provided however that the provisions of subdivision three of this section shall apply.

4-a. Authorized amounts to be awarded pursuant to applications submitted in response to the request for application number 1607010255 shall be awarded no later than May first, two thousand seventeen. The commissioner shall not issue a request for application for the remaining appropriated amounts on or before June first, two thousand seventeen to allow stakeholder, community, and legislative input regarding program eligibility, award criteria and the process by which the remaining funds will be awarded.

5. In determining awards for eligible applicants under this section, the commissioner shall consider stakeholder, community, and legislative input pursuant to subdivision four-a of this section, and other criteria including, but not limited to:

(a) The extent to which the proposed project will contribute to the integration of health care services or the long term sustainability of the applicant or preservation of essential health services in the community or communities served by the applicant;

(b) The extent to which the proposed project or purpose is aligned with delivery system reform incentive payment ("DSRIP") program goals and objectives;

(c) Consideration of geographic distribution of funds;

(d) The relationship between the proposed project and identified community need;

(e) The extent to which the applicant has access to alternative financing;

(f) The extent that the proposed project furthers the development of primary care and other outpatient services;

(g) The extent to which the proposed project benefits Medicaid enrollees and uninsured individuals;

(h) The extent to which the applicant has engaged the community affected by the proposed project and the manner in which community engagement has shaped such project; and

(i) The extent to which the proposed project addresses potential risk to patient safety and welfare.

6. Disbursement of awards made pursuant to this section shall be conditioned on the awardee achieving certain process and performance metrics and milestones as determined in the sole discretion of the commissioner. Such metrics and milestones shall be structured to ensure that the goals of the project are achieved, and such metrics and milestones shall be included in grant disbursement agreements or other contractual documents as required by the commissioner.

7. The department shall provide a report on a quarterly basis to the chairs of the senate finance, assembly ways and means, and senate health and assembly health committees. Such reports shall be submitted no later than sixty days after the close of the quarter, and shall include, for each award, the name of the applicant, a description of the project or purpose, the amount of the award, disbursement date, and status of achievement of process and performance metrics and milestones pursuant to subdivision five of this section.