TRENTON – A measure sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Loretta Weinberg which would require health care facilities to establish guidelines for safe patient handling received final legislative approval today by the full Assembly, by a vote of 77-3.
“The goal of this bill is to cut down on the risk of injury to patients and care givers,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “The effectiveness of the program lies in its development, implementation and monitoring. Health care facilities must develop realistic patient handling plans and the Departments of Health and Senior Services and Human Services must maintain an active role in monitoring the programs. This must be a joint effort.”
“It is way past time for New Jersey to adopt safe handling legislation that helps to protect patients and those who care for them,” said Senator Weinberg, D-Bergen, who is a member of the Senate Health panel. “There is always a risk of injury when dealing with transporting patients, but this bill would set up safety guidelines to help reduce the number and the severity of the injuries for all parties involved.”