Bill Text: NJ A1622 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes toll free helpline for first responders, health care workers, and other frontline workers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 4-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-11 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A1622 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-A1622-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
220th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2022 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman GREGORY P. MCGUCKIN
District 10 (Ocean)
Assemblyman JOHN CATALANO
District 10 (Ocean)
Assemblywoman AURA K. DUNN
District 25 (Morris and Somerset)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes toll free helpline for first responders, health care workers, and other frontline workers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning post-traumatic stress disorder and the coronavirus disease 2019 and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Health shall establish, in coordination with University Behavioral HealthCare of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, a toll free helpline for first responders, health care workers, and other frontline workers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder due to their work during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
b. The helpline shall be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days per week and shall respond to calls from first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families. The operators of the helpline shall seek to identify first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families who should be referred to further peer support and counseling services, and provide referrals.
c. To the greatest extent possible, the operators of the help line, shall be (1) familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder and the emotional and psychological tensions, depressions, and anxieties unique to first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families or (2) trained to provide counseling services involving marriage and family life, substance abuse, personal stress management, and other emotional or psychological disorders or conditions which may be likely to adversely affect the personal and service related well-being of first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families.
d. The Department of Health and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey shall provide for the confidentiality of the names of the persons calling, the information discussed, and any referrals for further peer support or counseling; provided, however, the Department of Health and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey may establish guidelines providing for the tracking of any person who exhibits a severe emotional or psychological disorder or condition which the operator handling the call reasonably believes might result in harm to the first responder, health care worker, other frontline worker, or any other person.
2. The Commissioner of Health shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a toll free helpline for first responders, health care workers, and other frontline workers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Under the bill, the Department of Health (DOH) is to establish, in coordination with University Behavioral HealthCare of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Rutgers), a toll free helpline for first responders, health care workers, and other frontline workers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder due to their work during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
The helpline is to be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days per week and is to respond to calls from first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families. The operators of the helpline are to seek to identify first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families who should be referred to further peer support and counseling services, and provide referrals. To the greatest extent possible, the operators of the help line, are to be (1) familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder and the emotional and psychological tensions, depressions, and anxieties unique to first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families or (2) trained to provide counseling services involving marriage and family life, substance abuse, personal stress management, and other emotional or psychological disorders or conditions which may be likely to adversely affect the personal and service related well-being of first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families.
The bill provides that the DOH and Rutgers are to provide for the confidentiality of the names of the persons calling, the information discussed, and any referrals for further peer support or counseling; provided, however, the DOH and Rutgers may establish guidelines providing for the tracking of any person who exhibits a severe emotional or psychological disorder or condition which the operator handling the call reasonably believes might result in harm to the first responder, health care worker, other frontline worker, or any other person.
"Frontline worker" means a person who provides an essential service or key public service, including, but not limited to, employees of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families.
