Bill Text: NJ S621 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Provides bill of rights for persons receiving services under Congregate Housing Services Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-06-29 - Substituted by A905 [S621 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S621-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT M. GORDON
District 38 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Provides bill of rights for persons receiving services under Congregate Housing Services Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning the Congregate Housing Services Program and supplementing P.L.1981, c.553 (C.52:27D-182 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
l. a. The Department of Health and Senior Services shall ensure that a person receiving services under the Congregate Housing Services Program including, but not limited to, meal preparation, housekeeping, shopping, laundry, linens change, companionship, and personal care, receives those services in a manner that promotes the dignity of and shows respect for the person.
b. A Congregate Housing Services Program shall make information related to its services available to the manager of a subsidized housing facility that has contracted with the State to provide a Congregate Housing Services Program. The manager shall be responsible for the distribution and dissemination of the information to its residents and shall include in that information a statement that the services provided by the program shall be provided to:
(1) help meet the needs of a resident;
(2) foster the independence and individuality of a resident;
(3) treat a resident with respect, courtesy, consideration, and dignity; and
(4) assure a resident the right to make choices with respect to services and lifestyle.
c. A Congregate Housing Services Program shall:
(1) advise a resident receiving congregate housing services, in writing, of the availability of information from the Division of Aging and Community Services in the Department of Health and Senior Services about issues that may be of concern to a resident; and
(2) make available, upon request, the qualifications of a counselor or other professional who is providing services to residents under the Congregate Housing Services Program.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the second month next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill provides a bill of rights for persons receiving services under the Congregate Housing Services Program, which is a State-funded program in the Division of Aging and Community Services in the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), that provides services (meal preparation, housekeeping, shopping, laundry, linens change, companionship and personal care) to frail, elderly persons residing in certain subsidized housing facilities.
Specifically, the bill provides that DHSS would ensure that a person receiving services under the program receives those services in a manner that promotes the dignity of and shows respect for the person. In addition, the program must make information related to its services available to the manager of a subsidized housing facility that has contracted with DHSS to provide a Congregate Housing Services Program. The manager would be responsible for the distribution and dissemination of the information to its residents and would include in that information a statement that the services provided by the program shall be provided to:
· help meet the needs of a resident;
· foster the independence and individuality of a resident;
· treat a resident with respect, courtesy, consideration, and dignity; and
· assure a resident the right to make choices with respect to services and lifestyle.
The bill also requires a Congregate Housing Services Program to: advise a resident receiving services, in writing, of the availability of information from the Division of Aging and Community Services in DHSS about issues that may be of concern to a resident; and make available, upon request, the qualifications of a counselor or other professional who is providing congregate housing services.
