Sponsored by:
Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Requires hospitals and birthing facilities to request new parents watch water safety video prior to discharge.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning water safety 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 Commissioner of Health shall prepare and make available to each hospital and birthing facility in the State an informational video on water safety for children, including, but not limited to, information on the risks to children of drowning in bathtubs, pools, and other bodies of water, the importance of receiving instruction on basic swimming, water safety, water rescue, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills; the use of life jackets and other age appropriate flotation devices for children; and anti-entrapment drain covers, safety release systems, and pool fences.
The informational video shall be shown to a new parent and any other adult family member present at the infant's birth, prior to the infants birth or the new parents discharge from a hospital or birthing facility. The commissioner may make the informational video available to hospitals and birthing facilities by posting it on the Department of Health's Internet website or by other electronic means.
b. The Department of Health shall mandate that each hospital and birthing facility in the State require new parents to watch the informational video specified in subsection a. of this section. The informational video shall be shown to the new parent and any other adult family member present at the infant's birth, prior to the new parents discharge, as part of the hospital or birthing facility's discharge procedures.
c. As used in this section "birthing facility" means an inpatient or ambulatory health care facility licensed by the Department of Health that provides birthing and newborn care services.
2. The Commissioner of Health, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Commissioner of Health (DOH) to prepare and make available to each hospital and birthing facility in the State an informational video on water safety for children, including, but not limited to, information on the risks to children of drowning in bathtubs, pools, and other bodies of water, the importance of receiving instruction on basic swimming, water safety, water rescue, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills; the use of life jackets and other age appropriate flotation devices for children; and anti-entrapment drain covers, safety release systems, and pool fences.
The video is to be shown to a new parent and any other adult family member present at the infant's birth, prior to an infants birth or the new parents discharge from a hospital or birthing facility. The commissioner may make the informational video available to hospitals and birthing facilities by posting it on the DOHs Internet website or by other electronic means.
The bill also stipulates that the DOH mandate that each hospital and birthing facility in the State require new parents to watch the informational video specified in the bill, which is to be shown to a new parent and any other adult family member present at an infant's birth, prior to the parents discharge, as part of the hospital or birthing facility's discharge procedures.
As used in bill "birthing facility" means an inpatient or ambulatory health care facility licensed by the DOH that provides birthing and newborn care services.