Sponsored by:
Senator VIN GOPAL
District 11 (Monmouth)
Senator JOSEPH A. LAGANA
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Gill
SYNOPSIS
Requires use of small pharmacies to facilitate State response to public health emergencies, including administration of COVID-19 vaccines.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning public health emergencies and amending P.L.2005, c.222.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 11 of P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-11) is amended to read as follows:
11. a. During a state of public health emergency, the commissioner may purchase, obtain, store, distribute or take for priority redistribution any anti-toxins, serums, vaccines, immunizing agents, antibiotics and other pharmaceutical agents or medical supplies as may be reasonable and necessary to respond to the public health emergency, with the right to take immediate possession thereof.
b. If a state of public health emergency results in a Statewide or regional shortage or threatened shortage of any product under subsection a. of this section, the commissioner may issue and enforce orders to control, restrict and regulate by rationing and using quotas, prohibitions on shipments, allocation or other means, the use, sale, dispensing, distribution or transportation of the relevant product necessary to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the people of the State.
c. In making rationing or other supply and distribution decisions, the commissioner may give preference to health care providers, disaster response personnel, mortuary staff and such other persons as the commissioner deems appropriate in order to respond to the public health emergency.
d. When utilizing pharmacies as part of its response to a state of public emergency, the commissioner shall seek to incorporate the use of pharmacies employing 20 or fewer people, to the extent the use of such pharmacies is both possible and appropriate.
(cf: P.L.2005, c.222, s.11)
2. (New section) The Commissioner of Health shall establish at least 15 additional SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration sites in each county of the State, which sites shall be located in pharmacies employing 20 or fewer people. The commissioner shall work with appropriate State and federal entities to take steps to remove any barriers that may prevent pharmacies employing 20 or fewer people from having access to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses on the same basis as applies to pharmacies employing 20 or more people.
3. This act shall take effect immediately, and section 2 of the bill shall expire upon the end of both the state of emergency and the public health emergency declared in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Health, when utilizing pharmacies as part of its response to a declared state of public emergency, to seek to incorporate the use of pharmacies employing 20 or fewer people, to the extent the use of these pharmacies is both possible and appropriate.
Additionally, the bill requires the Commissioner of Health to establish at least 15 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine administration sites in each county of the State, which sites are to be located in pharmacies employing 20 or fewer people. The commissioner will be required to work with appropriate State and federal entities to take steps to remove any barriers that may prevent pharmacies employing 20 or fewer people from having access to COVID-19 vaccine doses on the same basis as applies to pharmacies employing 20 or more people.
It is the sponsor’s intent that the State optimize its response to public health emergencies by using smaller pharmacies to reach additional areas of the State that may not otherwise be fully served by larger pharmacies. In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, is the sponsor’s intent that establishing additional administration sites in smaller pharmacies will generally expand access to the COVID-19 vaccine.