TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Senators Ronald L. Rice and Jim Whelan to require all hospital board trustees to complete a training program received final Legislative approval today.
“Hospital trustee members should be properly trained to fulfill their duties,” said Senator Rice, D-Essex. “Trustees must ensure that hospitals are operating efficiently and are financially responsible. Sufficient education and training are vital to ensuring that hospitals are staffed with the most qualified individuals in order to prevent mismanagement of resources.”
The bill, S-1795, would require all trustees of a general hospital to complete training regardless of when the trustee was appointed to the board. Current law, enacted on April 30, 2007, grandfathered trustees appointed prior to that date.
Senator Whelan, D-Atlantic, noted that the bill would specify that training programs help clarify the roles and duties of a hospital trustee and that all members would be required to complete the training within 12 months.
“This bill is based on one of the recommendations from the final report of the Commission on Rationalizing Health Care Resources, which was established over a year ago by executive order to examine regulatory, financing and market mechanisms that affect the long-term stability of the State’s health care delivery system,” said Senator Whelan.
The bill now heads to the Governor’s Office for enactment. ###
