ASSEMBLY, No. 2834

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED MARCH 20, 1997

By Assemblymen ZECKER and RUSSO

An Act establishing a program of services for persons with chronic fatigue syndrome 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 and Senior Services shall establish a Statewide network of resources to provide the following services to persons with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome: information and referral services, physician training and patient education programs, information on disability services, a public awareness campaign, and clinical services that provide diagnosis and treatment of persons with chronic fatigue syndrome.

    2. The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    3. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill requires the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services to establish a Statewide network of resources to provide the following services to persons with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): information and referral services, physician and patient education and training programs, information on disability services, a public awareness campaign, and clinical services that provide diagnosis and treatment of persons with CFS.

    CFS is a scientifically recognized disease syndrome which manifests itself across a spectrum of symptoms, ranging from people being chronically tired to being confined to a wheelchair. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently raised CFS to a "Priority 1" in its new re-emerging drug-resistant infectious disease category. Other "Priority 1" diseases include cholera, malaria, hepatitis C and tuberculosis.

    For many who have it, CFS is a devastating and debilitating illness characterized by both physical symptoms (joint pain, muscle weakness, headaches, insomnia and exhaustion) and cognitive symptoms (such as memory loss, inability to concentrate and mental "fog"). Many CFS patients are totally disabled and unable to care for themselves. To date, no cure has been found for the estimated one million persons with CFS in this country, and research on CFS presents special challenges because the causes and mechanisms of this disease are not yet fully understood. It should be noted that the federal government has recognized the seriousness of this disease. For example, several institutes at the National Institutes of Health support research on CFS, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are engaged in studying the epidemiology of CFS, particularly its incidence and prevalence.

Establishes chronic fatigue syndrome program in Department of Health and Senior Services.