Sponsored by:
Senator JOSEPH P. CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Johnson, Assemblywomen Pintor Marin, Speight, Murphy, Timberlake, Lopez, Vainieri Huttle, McKnight and Jasey
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program Initiative" in DOH.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning violence intervention in hospitals and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Health shall establish the "Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program Initiative" in the department. The commissioner shall develop and implement a comprehensive, coordinated plan to create hospital-based violence intervention programs, in which people recovering from violent injuries are counseled by trained intervention specialists that offer long-term case management, connection to community services, mentoring, and follow-up assistance, in order to substantially reduce the risk of violent re-injury and discourage the use of retaliatory violence. In addition to any moneys appropriated by the Legislature, the commissioner may seek money from the federal government, private foundations, and any other source to fund this initiative, as well as to fund on-going monitoring and evaluation of the programs created through this initiative.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Health to establish the "Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program Initiative." The commissioner would develop and implement a comprehensive, coordinated plan to create hospital-based violence intervention programs, in which people recovering from violent injuries are counseled by trained intervention specialists that offer long-term case management, connection to community services, mentoring, and follow-up assistance, in order to substantially reduce the risk of violent re-injury and discourage the use of retaliatory violence. The bill provides that, in addition to any moneys appropriated by the Legislature, the commissioner may seek money from the federal government, private foundations, and any other source to fund this initiative, as well as to fund on-going monitoring and evaluation of the programs created through this initiative.