This bill mandates the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH) to create a Regional Hospital System Program for Emergency Preparedness, which will involve regional coalitions of hospitals and local health departments. These coalitions are tasked with developing coordinated plans and strategies to ensure the resilience of the state's hospital system during public emergencies. The DOH will assign each licensed hospital and local health department to a regional coalition, appoint a regional coordinator, and establish criteria to assess the emergency preparedness plans submitted by these coalitions. The plans must address critical areas such as response coordination, medical readiness, and continuity of healthcare services. Each coalition is required to submit their emergency preparedness plan to the DOH within 12 months of the criteria being established and to review and resubmit these plans annually.

Additionally, the bill requires the DOH to conduct annual surveys of the hospital system's preparedness and resiliency in collaboration with the regional coalitions and relevant stakeholders. This survey will evaluate existing emergency response plans and preparedness measures at hospitals. To support hospitals identified as deficient in their emergency preparedness, the DOH will establish a grant program that provides funding and technical assistance. The bill defines a "public emergency" as any environmental, public health, or public safety emergency officially recognized by the Governor or the President. The provisions of this act will take effect immediately upon enactment.