Section 3900. Legislative findings and purposes

1. The legislature hereby
  finds, determines, and declares that promotion of the  continued  health
  and  safety  of  New  York  state's farming community continues to be an
  unmet need. It further finds that agriculture  is  ranked  as  the  most
  dangerous  occupation  on  a nationwide basis and that farmers and other
  agricultural workers are injured and killed at a rate four times greater
  than other workers in the  country:  in  nineteen  hundred  eighty-five,
  forty-five  deaths  and  over  four  thousand farm-related injuries were
  reported within New York state.
    2.  The  provision  of  health  and  safety  services  unique  to  the
  agricultural  sector  has  been  seen  by  many physicians as relatively
  unattractive. As a consequence, the medical  profession  lacks  specific
  knowledge  of,  and  expertise  in,  treating farm illnesses. While some
  progress has been made to date in the area of farm  health  and  safety,
  more  work  is  needed  to  address  such specific concerns as traumatic
  injury, hearing loss, and occupational cancer. Further efforts  need  to
  be  made  to  provide  educational  programs  to  improve  awareness  of
  agricultural health  concerns,  and  to  enhance  delivery  of  targeted
  agricultural health services in the state.
    3.  It  is  vital  that  the state of New York develop a capability to
  address the special health and  safety  needs  of  the  state's  farming
  community.  In  order to facilitate a focus on agricultural medicine and
  health, the legislature hereby determines that there is a need to create
  a New York state center for agricultural medicine and health to  operate
  in  conjunction with the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Cooperstown, New
  York.