This bill amends current infection control regulations for long-term care facilities in New Jersey, specifically revising the requirements for outbreak response plans and the qualifications of infection preventionists. It mandates that long-term care facilities develop customized outbreak response plans within 180 days, which must include protocols for isolating and cohorting infected residents, notifying stakeholders during outbreaks, and monitoring for communicable diseases. The bill also requires annual training exercises and updates to the outbreak response plans, as well as the establishment of an infection prevention and control committee.

Key changes include the removal of the requirement for a physician with an infectious disease fellowship to be part of the infection prevention and control committee, and the introduction of new qualifications for infection preventionists, such as certification from recognized training programs. Additionally, the infection preventionist is now limited to serving on no more than five committees and is allowed to perform other duties when not engaged in infection prevention tasks. The bill also emphasizes the committee's role in developing training policies and ensuring staff compliance with infection control measures.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 26:2H-12.87