SENATE, No. 2384

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED MAY 4, 2020

 


 

Sponsored by:

Senator  LINDA R. GREENSTEIN

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

Senator  NIA H. GILL

District 34 (Essex and Passaic)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Senators Addiego, O'Scanlon and Diegnan

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Requires health care facilities to report certain coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) data related to health care workers and certain first responders.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act concerning data reporting related to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  (1)  The Commissioner of Health shall require general acute care hospitals, special hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, and nursing homes licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) to report to the Department of Health data on the number of health care professionals, ancillary health care workers, and emergency medical services personnel affiliated with the facility who: tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019; died from the coronavirus disease 2019; and were admitted for treatment for the coronavirus disease 2019. 

     (2)   The commissioner shall compile the data reported pursuant to this subsection by facility type and by professional license or certification type, if any, or by job title or category.

     b.    The department shall publish on its Internet website the occupational data received pursuant to subsection a. of this section.  The department shall update its Internet website on a daily basis by publishing the latest data received by the department pursuant to subsection a. of this section.  To the extent possible, the data reported by the department pursuant to this subsection may be merged and cross-referenced with the data published by the department pursuant to subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.2020, c.28.

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire one month after the end of both the state of emergency and the public health emergency declared in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic..

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill establishes certain reporting requirements for health care facilities with regard to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for certain health care workers.

     Specifically, general acute care hospitals, special hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, ambulatory surgical centers, and nursing homes will be required to report to the Department of Health (DOH) data on the number of health care professionals, ancillary health care workers, and emergency medical services personnel affiliated with the facility who: tested positive for COVID-19; died from COVID-19; and were admitted for treatment for COVID-19.  The reported data is to be compiled by facility type and by professional license or certification type, if any, or by job title or category.

     The DOH will be required to publish on its Internet website the occupational data received under the bill, which data is to be updated daily.  To the extent possible, the data reported by the department may be merged and cross-referenced with the demographic data published by the department pursuant to section 1 of P.L.2020, c.28.

     The bill will expire one month after the end of both the state of emergency and the public health emergency declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.