Bill Text: NJ A1352 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires DHS to prepare annual reports on State psychiatric hospitals.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Human Services Committee [A1352 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1352-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MARY PAT ANGELINI
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblywoman DENISE M. COYLE
District 16 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DHS to prepare annual reports on State psychiatric hospitals.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning State psychiatric hospitals and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Human Services shall, at least annually, prepare a report that includes information on each State psychiatric hospital listed in R.S.30:1-7, as provided in this section.
a. The report, at a minimum, shall include information that describes for each State psychiatric hospital:
(1) the efforts of the hospital to protect the safety of patients and staff and provide a secure environment;
(2) the hospital's programs or strategies to provide continuous training and development of staff;
(3) the efforts of the hospital to provide quality care and promote wellness and recovery of persons with mental illness; and
(4) the patient census.
b. The commissioner shall submit the report prepared pursuant to this section to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and shall make the report available to the public by posting it on the official website of the Department of Human Services.
2. This act shall take effect on the 90th day following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services to prepare, at least annually, a report that includes information on each State psychiatric hospital (Ancora Psychiatric Hospital, Ann Klein Forensic Center, Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, Senator Garrett W. Hagedorn Psychiatric Hospital, and Trenton Psychiatric Hospital).
The report, at a minimum, would include information that describes for each State psychiatric hospital:
· efforts to ensure the safety of patients and staff and provide a secure environment;
· programs or strategies to provide continuous training and development of staff;
· efforts to provide quality care and promote wellness and recovery of persons with mental illness; and
· the patient census.
It is intended that through these reports, the Department of Human Services (DHS) will remain accountable for the safety, security, and care of persons with mental illness in the State's psychiatric hospitals, while also increasing awareness of the activities and programs that DHS implements to improve the lives of persons with mental illness in these hospitals.
The bill requires the commissioner to submit the reports to the Governor and the Legislature, and to make them available to the public by posting them on the official website of DHS.
The bill has a delayed effective date of 90 days following enactment.
