Bill Text: NJ A2632 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Requires DHS to establish Alzheimer's disease public awareness campaign.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-4)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-12-06 - Reported out of Assembly Comm. with Amendments, 2nd Reading [A2632 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-A2632-Amended.html
ASSEMBLY, No. 2632
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 13, 2020
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE CHAPARRO
District 33 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Caputo, Assemblywoman Timberlake, Assemblyman Conaway, Assemblywoman McKnight, Assemblymen Benson, Moen, Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson, Carter, Assemblymen DeAngelo, Johnson, Chiaravalloti, DiMaio, Karabinchak, Assemblywoman Quijano, Assemblymen Catalano, McGuckin, Dancer, Assemblywoman Jasey, Assemblymen Calabrese and Giblin
SYNOPSIS
Requires DHS to establish Alzheimer's disease public awareness campaign.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Health Committee on December 6, 2021, with amendments.
An Act concerning Alzheimer's disease and supplementing Title 1[26] 301 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Alzheimer's Disease Public Awareness and Education Act."
2 1.1 The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Alzheimer's 1disease1 is a progressive brain disorder that damages and eventually destroys brain cells, leading to diminished memory, thinking, and other brain functions.
b. The visible symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are often mistaken to be a normal part of aging.
c. Many people with the disease encounter precarious personal and legal situations due to their diminished brain function.
d. Alzheimer's disease takes an enormous emotional, psychological, financial, and physical toll on the individual, caregivers, and families.
e. It has been estimated that 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease, with that number expected to grow to 14 million by 2050.
f. There are currently no medicines that are effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
g. Alzheimer's disease and 1[other dementias] related disorders or other forms of dementia cost1 the nation $290 billion per year 1,1 which 1cost1 could rise to $1.1 trillion by 2050;
h. Increased public awareness and education are needed among health care, social services, judicial, law enforcement, and emergency medical services personnel in order to better respond to the needs of 1[Alzheimer's disease]1 patients 1living with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders or other forms of dementia1 , their caregivers, and 1their1 families.
i. It is imperative for New Jersey to commit itself to actively support public awareness and education efforts throughout the State in order to better meet the needs of its citizens who are suffering from 1or affected by1 Alzheimer's disease.
3. As used in this act:
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of 1[Health] Human Services1 .
"Department" means the Department of 1[Health] Human Services1 .
"Program" means the Alzheimer's disease public awareness and education program established pursuant to this act.
4. The commissioner, subject to available funds, shall establish an Alzheimer's disease public awareness and education program.
a. The purpose of the program shall be to promote public awareness of Alzheimer's disease and the value of early detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and risks of those treatments. The department may accept for that purpose any grant of monies, services, or property from the federal government, an organization, or a medical school.
b. The program shall include the following:
(1) Development of a public campaign to promote Alzheimer's disease awareness and education, including, but not limited to, the following subjects:
(a) the 1[cause and]1 nature 1, symptoms, and warning signs1 of the disease;
(b) lifestyle issues relating to how individuals and families cope with Alzheimer's disease, including, but not limited to, diet and physical exercise;
(c) environmental safety and injury prevention;
(d) availability of Alzheimer's disease diagnostic and treatment services in the community; and
1[(f)] (e)1 cognitive aging and the benefits of early detection and diagnosis.
(2) Development of educational materials to be made available through local boards of health, physicians, hospitals, and clinics; 1and1
(3) Development of educational programs for judicial staff, police officers, fire fighters, and social services and emergency medical service providers, to assist them in recognizing the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and understanding how to respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the course of performing their duties 1[;
(4) Development and maintenance of a list of current providers of services for the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Dissemination of the list shall be accompanied by a description of diagnostic procedures and a statement about the current status of Alzheimer's disease research and treatment. The statement shall indicate that the department does not endorse specific Alzheimer's disease centers in this State; and
(5) Continuation of New Jersey's Behavioral Risk Factor Survey]1.
5. The department, in consultation with the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, shall prepare and make available on the department's Internet website in English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable by the general public, information about the symptoms and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and any other information that the commissioner deems necessary.
6. The Commissioner of 1[Health] Human Services1 , pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), may adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.
7. This act shall take effect on the 180th day following enactment, except that the Commissioner of 1[Health] Human Services1 may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of the act.
