Bill Text: NJ S3230 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Appropriates $3 million to DOH to build and operate emergency management and storage center at Hunterdon Medical Center.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-01-19 - Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee [S3230 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S3230-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator ANDREW ZWICKER
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Appropriates $3 million to DOH to build and operate emergency management and storage center at Hunterdon Medical Center.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Supplement to the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, P.L.2022, c.49.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. In addition to the amounts appropriated under P.L.2022, c.49, the annual appropriations act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, there is appropriated from the General Fund the following amount for the purpose specified:
46 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
20 Physical and Mental Health
22 Health Planning and Evaluation
GRANTS-IN-AID
07-4270 Health Care Systems Analysis ............................ $3,000,000
Total Grants-In-Aid Appropriation,
Health Planning and Evaluation ...................... $3,000,000
Grants-in-Aid:
07 Hunterdon Health.................................. ($3,000,000)
The amount hereinabove appropriated for Hunterdon Health shall be used to fund the construction and operation of an emergency management and storage center on the campus of the Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill supplements the FY 2023 appropriations act by appropriating $3 million to the Department of Health for the construction and operation of an emergency management and storage center on the campus of the Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington.
The purpose of the new emergency management and storage center will be to manage emergency operations and coordinate and deliver resources to incident sites during emergency events. According to Hunterdon Health's proposal, the warehouse-like facility will be approximately 10,000-20,000 square feet in size. When not utilized to respond to an emerging crisis, it is expected that the building will store emergency supplies for Hunterdon Medical Center, including beds, medical equipment such as IV poles and ventilators, emergency response equipment such as inflatables, decontamination equipment, and personal protective equipment. As outlined in the proposal, during a catastrophe, the facility would act as a hub to manage emergency operations and coordinate and deliver resources to incident sites. Because of its size, the facility could also serve as a field hospital unit, a supply distribution point, or a shelter.
As a result of several recent regional and national crisis situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Tropical Storm Ida, and the expectation that similar events will continue to occur, it is the sponsor's belief that Hunterdon county needs a facility that can store equipment and respond immediately and effectively to an emergency. As there is no other medical center within a 30-minute drive of Flemington, it is expected that the new emergency management and storage center will be at the forefront of any medical emergency deriving from a natural disaster, attack, or mass casualty event occurring in the area.