Fact Sheet: Legislation to Protect Health Care Providers Serving on the Front Lines of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Prevailing in the nation’s fight against COVID-19 requires the undivided focus and full deployment of health care facilities and professionals serving on the front lines of the pandemic across the country. Recognizing the challenge of preparing and caring for a surge of patients, New York and Kentucky were leaders in enacting legislation to support their health care facilities and professionals providing life-saving treatment to those diagnosed with COVID-19 while maintaining a functioning health care safety net for other vulnerable patients. Other states have provided similar supportive protections through Executive Orders. All these measures are designed to shield those on the front lines from the legal exposure that necessarily attends actions and decisions undertaken in responding to an unprecedented public health emergency.