TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senators Joseph F. Vitale and Richard J. Codey to create the “Legislative Review Panel on State Psychiatric Hospitals and Developmental Centers,” was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 36-0, receiving final legislative approval.
“When it comes to care for our State’s most vulnerable populations, we need an exhaustive review to make sure we’re meeting their needs in the most comprehensive, cost-effective manner possible,” said Senator Vitale, D-Middlesex, and Vice Chair of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. “This bill would give the State Legislature the authority and the mandate to perform a top-to-bottom analysis of New Jersey’s psychiatric hospitals and developmental centers to make sure that people are getting the care they need at a cost that’s reasonable. At the end of the day, this bill would ensure a more complete, more sustainable system of care for New Jerseyans living with mental illness or developmental disability.”