STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator PETER J. BARNES, III
District 18 (Middlesex)
Senator BRIAN P. STACK
District 33 (Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Bateman
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain DOC, county, and municipal prison physicians to acquire certain training.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning qualifications for certain physicians assigned supervisory authority in State, county, and municipal correctional facilities and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Within 180 days of a physician being assigned primary supervisory authority over other medical personnel at each correctional facility operated by the Department of Corrections, each county correctional facility, or each municipal jail, such physician shall be trained or certified in addiction medicine to meet one or more of the following qualifications:
a. The physician holds a subspecialty board certification in addiction psychiatry from the American Board of Medical Specialties;
b. The physician holds an addiction certification from the American Society of Addiction Medicine;
c. The physician holds subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine from the American Osteopathic Association; or
d. The physician has completed not less than eight hours of training with respect to the treatment and management of opioid-addicted patients.
This training may be provided through classroom situations, seminars, at professional society meetings, through electronic communications, or otherwise. The training must be conducted by an organization that the Commissioner of Health determines to be appropriate.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires physicians who have primary supervisory authority over other medical personnel at each State, county, or municipal correctional facility to have adequate training in the treatment of addicted patients.
The bill requires these physicians to hold a subspecialty board certification in addiction psychiatry from the American Board of Medical Specialties, an addiction certification from the American Society of Addiction Medicine, or a subspecialty board certification in addiction medicine from the American Osteopathic Association. Another option for these physicians would be to complete not less than eight hours of training with respect to the treatment and management of opioid-addicted patients. This training would be provided by an organization chosen by the Commissioner of Health.