Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman GORDON M. JOHNSON
District 37 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Speight and Vainieri Huttle
SYNOPSIS
Requires New Jersey Office on Minority and Multicultural Health to study racial disparities on sexual and reproductive health of African-American women.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the New Jersey Office on Minority and Multicultural Health and supplementing P.L.1991, c.401 (C.26:2-160 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The New Jersey Office on Minority and Multicultural Health shall study the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women.
The purpose of the study shall be to:
(1) identify Statewide and regional trends, patterns, and racial and ethnic disparities in adverse health outcomes, and medical, non-medical, and system-related factors that may affect the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women;
(2) review the extent to which the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women in a geographic area indicate the need to increase access to health care services among racial and ethnic populations in that area; and
(3) identify ways to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities that affect the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women.
b. In conducting the study, the office may seek the advice of persons specializing in the fields of women’s health, minority health advocacy, or other related fields.
c. Within one year after the date of enactment of this act, the board shall prepare and submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature, a report containing the study's findings concerning the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women and recommendations for legislative or other actions that can be undertaken to:
(1) improve the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women in this State;
(2) reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities that affect the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women; and
(3) increase access to high quality health care services among African-American women in the following priority areas: childbirth; breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer screening; HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; and other sexually transmitted diseases.
d. The office may prepare
and submit additional reports when the board deems it appropriate, and each
report, with the exception of the first report prepared under this section,
shall additionally identify the extent to which the board's prior
recommendations have been successfully implemented in practice and the apparent
impact that the implementation of such recommended changes has had on
the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women in the preceding
years.
2. The office shall adopt regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the New Jersey Office of Minority and Multicultural Health established pursuant to P.L.1991, c.401, (C.26:2-160 et seq.) to study of the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women.
The purpose of the study would be to: identify Statewide and regional trends, patterns, and racial and ethnic disparities in adverse health outcomes, and medical, non-medical, and system-related factors that may affect the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women; review the extent to which the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women in a geographic area indicate the need to increase access to health care services among racial and ethnic populations in that area; and identify ways to reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities that affect the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women.
When conducting the study, the office would be allowed to seek the advice of persons specializing in the fields of women’s health, minority health advocacy, or other related fields.
The bill stipulates that within one year of the enactment of the bill, the office would prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report containing the study’s findings concerning the effects of racial and ethnic disparities on the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women and recommendations for legislative or other actions that could be taken to: improve the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women in this State; reduce or eliminate racial and ethnic disparities that affect the sexual and reproductive health of African-American women; and increase access to high quality health care services among African-American women in the following priority areas: childbirth; breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer screening; HIV/AIDS; hepatitis C; and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Each report prepared by the office pursuant to the bill, with the exception of the first report, would identify the extent to which the board’s prior recommendations have been successfully implemented and the impact the impleme ntation of the recommended changes has had on African-American women’s sexual and reproductive health in the preceding years.