Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DOH to prepare resource guide on preeclampsia and gestational diabetes for distribution to pregnant persons.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning preeclampsia and gestational diabetes and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Health shall prepare a resource guide which provides information on preeclampsia and gestational diabetes to all pregnant persons in the State. The resource guide shall be distributed to each pregnant person receiving perinatal treatment and care, by the personnel at a hospital that provides inpatient maternity services or birthing center licensed in the State pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), as part of the hospital or birthing facility's patient intake process.
b. The resource guide shall be in a language the pregnant person understands and shall include, but not be limited to, information on:
(1) the symptoms and early warning signs of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes;
(2) the effects of preeclampsia or gestational diabetes on a pregnant person and the pregnant person’s baby; and
(3) effective strategies that will help a pregnant person advocate for, or communicate to a health care provider any concerns the person has about, the person’s health and the health of the person’s baby.
c. The department shall distribute the resource guide, at no charge, to all the hospitals and birthing facilities in the State. The department shall update the resource guide as necessary, and shall make additional copies of the resource guide available to hospitals and birthing facilities upon request.
d. The department shall make available on the department's Internet website, both in print and in an easily printable format, the information contained in the resource guide prepared pursuant to subsection a. of this section, and shall update this information as necessary.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Health (DOH) to prepare a resource guide which provides information on preeclampsia and gestational diabetes to all pregnant persons in the State.
Specifically, the resource guide is to be distributed to each pregnant person receiving perinatal treatment and care, by the personnel at a hospital that provides inpatient maternity services or birthing center licensed in the State pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.), as part of the hospital or birthing facility's patient intake process.
The resource guide is to be in a language the pregnant person understands and is to include, but not be limited to, information on: (1) the symptoms and early warning signs of preeclampsia and gestational diabetes; (2) the effects of preeclampsia or gestational diabetes on a pregnant person and the pregnant person’s baby; and (3) effective strategies that will help a pregnant person advocate for, or communicate to a health care provider any concerns the person has about, the person’s health and the health of the person’s baby.
Under the provisions of the bill, the DOH is to: distribute the resource guide, at no charge, to all the hospitals and birthing facilities in the State; update the guide as necessary; make additional copies of the guide available to hospitals and birthing facilities upon request; and make the information contained in the guide available on its Internet website, both in print and in an easily printable format.