Bill Text: NJ A605 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Permits emergency medical technicians to administer certain vaccines during certain declared public health emergencies.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-09 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A605 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2024-A605-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman GARY S. SCHAER
District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Permits emergency medical technicians to administer certain vaccines during certain declared public health emergencies.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning emergency medical technicians and vaccines 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. As used in this section:
"Emergency medical technician" means a person trained in basic life support services as defined in section 1 of P.L.1985, c.351 (C.26:2K-21) and who is certified by the Department of Health to perform these services.
"Infectious disease" means a disease caused by a living organism or other pathogen, including a fungus, bacteria, parasite, protozoan, virus, or prion. An infectious disease may, or may not, be transmissible from person to person, animal to person, or insect to person.
b. During a declared public health emergency involving an outbreak of an infectious disease, an emergency medical technician in the State shall be authorized to administer a vaccine provided that:
(1) the emergency medical technician is certified by the Department of Health to administer vaccines that protect against the infectious disease that is the basis of the declared public health emergency;
(2) the vaccine is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent against the transmission of the infectious disease that is the basis of the declared public health emergency;
(3) the emergency medical technician has completed an educational vaccine administration training program that is based on guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and which has been approved by the Department of Health; and
(4) a medical director or a supervising healthcare professional, whose scope of practice includes the administration of intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, documents the adequate competency of the emergency medical technician through a skills assessment checklist that is approved by the Department of Health.
c. An emergency medical technician shall comply with any other restrictions or guidance concerning the vaccine as have been issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or the Department of Health.
d. A vaccine administered pursuant to this section may be administered pursuant to an individual prescription for the vaccine, a standing order for the vaccine issued by an authorized prescriber, or an immunization program or other program sponsored by an authorized governmental agency that is not patient specific.
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 permits emergency medical technicians to administer certain vaccines during declared public health emergencies.
The bill provides that, during a declared public health emergency involving an outbreak of an infectious disease, an emergency medical technician in the State is to be authorized to administer a vaccine provided that: (1) the emergency medical technician is certified by the Department of Health (DOH) to administer vaccines that protect against the infectious disease that is the basis of the declared public health emergency; (2) the vaccine is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent against the transmission of the infectious disease that is the basis of the declared public health emergency; (3) the emergency medical technician has completed an educational vaccine administration training program that is based on guidance from the CDC and which has been approved by the DOH; and (4) a medical director or a supervising healthcare professional, whose scope of practice includes the administration of intramuscular and subcutaneous injections, documents the adequate competency of the emergency medical technician through a skills assessment checklist that is approved by the DOH.
Under the bill, an emergency medical technician is to comply with any other restrictions or guidance concerning the vaccine as have been issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices or the DOH. A vaccine administered pursuant to the bill's provisions may be administered pursuant to an individual prescription for the vaccine, a standing order for the vaccine issued by an authorized prescriber, or an immunization program or other program sponsored by an authorized governmental agency that is not patient specific.
