Bill Text: NJ S299 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Implements Blue Band Program to address preeclampsia in New Jersey.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-01-13 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S299 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S299-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Implements Blue Band Program to address preeclampsia in New Jersey.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act implementing the Blue Band Program to address preeclampsia in New Jersey and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares:
a. Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of organ damage, most commonly indicated by protein in the urine.
b. According to the Preeclampsia Foundation, preeclampsia affects about 1 in 25 pregnancies nationwide.
c. The most recent Maternal Mortality Report issued by the Department of Health identified preeclampsia as a leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related mortality, particularly within the initial 42 days following delivery, a phase referred to as the early postpartum period.
d. More than 80 percent of maternal deaths in New Jersey are considered preventable and 60 percent of preeclampsia cases could be prevented with better awareness, monitoring, and follow-up care.
e. The Blue Band Initiative for preeclampsia was created to easily alert health care providers about a patient's risk for preeclampsia. Mothers who are at risk of developing preeclampsia or having elevated blood pressure after giving birth are provided with a blue wrist band to wear during pregnancy and postpartum. By providing an easily visible, wearable marker to individuals diagnosed with preeclampsia, the initiative ensures that critical health information travels with the patient across appointments, providers, and care settings. This is particularly important in New Jersey, where many women see multiple providers during and after pregnancy.
f. Implementing a Blue Band program, with wristbands costing between fifty cents and one dollar each, offers significant potential savings and health benefits. Preeclampsia is associated with an average incremental cost of $28,603 per mother-infant pair compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. By helping to prevent preeclampsia-related, preterm births, screening programs like the Blue Band program could save up to $3,446 per preeclampsia case. Additionally, early identification of at-risk patients through the implementation of a Blue Band program initiative can reduce the incidence of adverse maternal outcomes from 10.1 percent to 4.6 percent, and adverse infant outcomes from 15.4 percent to 7.8 percent. In the long term, addressing preeclampsia more effectively could help reduce the estimated $2.18 billion in annual national healthcare costs associated with the condition during the first year after delivery.
g. The Blue Band Initiative represents a low-cost, high-impact intervention that aligns with New Jersey's goals to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. By investing in this initiative, hospitals and federally qualified health centers can improve patient care and achieve significant cost savings by reducing the incidence of preeclampsia-related complications.
h. Paired with the Department of Health's Universal Home Visiting program, which brings supportive services into the homes of new parents, the implementation of a Blue Band Program can help bridge persistent gaps in maternal health care, promote early detection of pregnancy-related complications, and enhance the coordination of postpartum monitoring, ultimately saving lives.
2. As used in this act:
"Program" means the "Blue Band Program" established in section 3 of this act to provide wearable blue wristbands to pregnant and postpartum individuals at risk of preeclampsia, in order to clearly alert health care providers to the patient's condition.
"Preeclampsia" means a rapidly progressing condition characterized by elevated blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, typically resolves after childbirth, and poses serious risks to both the mother and baby and can lead to life-threatening complications.
3. a. There is established a "Blue Band Program" in the Office of Maternal and Child Health in the Department of Health. The purpose of the program shall be to reduce preventable pregnancy-related complications associated with preeclampsia by clearly alerting health care providers to an individual's risk to related health complications that can lead to maternal death, and to reduce the maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the State.
b. The Office of Maternal and Child Health shall:
(1) implement requirements for, and provide information to hospitals and federally qualified health centers, on participating in the Blue Band program established pursuant to this section;
(2) establish a procedure by which a hospital and federally qualified health center may voluntarily opt in to the program; and
(3) develop guidelines for the distribution of blue wristbands by participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers to pregnant and postpartum individuals at risk of preeclampsia or diagnosed with preeclampsia, in order to clearly alert health care providers to the individual's risk to related health complications that can lead to maternal death.
4. The Office of Maternal and Child Health shall develop educational resources to support participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers in implementing the Blue Band program, and make such resources available, in print and in an easily printable format, on the Office's Internet website. The resources shall include:
(1) patient education materials that clearly explain the purpose of, and how to participate in, the program;
(2) training and informational materials for health care providers and local first responders, including, but not limited to, obstetricians and obstetric nurses, family practice physicians, emergency medical personnel, and other health care professionals providing care to a patient participating in the program; and
(3) a list of approved vendors from which a participating hospital and qualified health center can purchase blue wristbands for use in the program.
5. a. The Office of Maternal and Child Health shall submit an annual report to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature.
b. The report shall include data on the number of hospitals and federally qualified health centers in the State that are actively participating in the program, the counties in which the participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers are located, and the impact of the Blue Band program on maternal mortality in the counties where the participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers are located.
6. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the Blue Band Program in the Office Maternal and Child Health in the Department of Health to reduce preventable pregnancy-related complications associated with preeclampsia by clearly alerting health care providers to an individual's risk to related health complications that can lead to maternal death, and to reduce the maternal mortality and morbidity rates in the State.
The Office of Maternal and Child Health is to (1) implement requirements for, and provide information to hospitals and federally qualified health centers, on participating in the Blue Band program established pursuant to this bill; (2) establish a procedure by which a hospital and federally qualified health center may voluntarily opt in to the program; and (3) develop guidelines for the distribution of blue wristbands by participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers to pregnant and postpartum individuals at risk of preeclampsia or diagnosed with preeclampsia, in order to clearly alert health care providers to the individual's risk to related health complications that can lead to maternal death.
The Office of Maternal and Child Health shall develop educational resources to support participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers in implementing the Blue Band program, and make such resources available, in print and in an easily printable format, on the Office's Internet website.
The Office of Maternal and Child Health is to submit an annual report to the Governor and Legislature on the implementation of this program. The report shall include data on the number of hospitals and federally qualified health centers in the State that are actively participating in the program, the counties in which the participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers are located, and the impact of the Blue Band program on maternal mortality in the counties where the participating hospitals and federally qualified health centers are located.
