Governor Corzine Signs Legislation at RWJ Hamilton

HAMILTON, NJ - Governor Jon S. Corzine today signed legislation requiring New Jersey hospitals to report statistics on all hospital acquired infections to the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). This marks the first time the state will have a comprehensive, detailed system of reporting for hospital acquired infections, enabling hospitals to develop protocols to combat this problem.

From left: Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein (Mercer, Middlesex), Governor Jon Corzine, RWJ Hamilton President & CEO Ellen Guarnieri, Department of Health & Senior Services Commissioner Fred Jacobs and Senator Joseph Vitale (Middlesex).

"I am proud to sign this legislation, which will put the spotlight on this scourge of deadly infections," Governor Corzine said. "This will help hospitals put procedures in place to prevent these infections and give family-members access to information they need to make informed decisions about the care of their loved ones."

The legislation requires New Jersey hospitals to report to DHSS on hospital-acquired infections rates and on steps the hospitals are taking to control such infections. It also requires the department to make that information available on its website to allow consumers to compare rates across hospitals.

This bill, S147/A4328, was sponsored in the Senate by Senators Connors (R-Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean), Bucco (R-Morris), and McNamara (R-Bergen, Essex, Passaic). It was also sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblymembers Voss (D-Bergen), Gordon (D-Bergen), Vas (D-Middlesex), Diegnan (D-Middlesex), and Van Drew (D-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland).

More About RWJ Hamilton
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (RWJ Hamilton) is the only New Jersey hospital to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. Located in Hamilton Township, NJ, the hospital is part of the RWJ Health System and Network and is affiliated with the University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey-RWJ Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.

The RWJ Hamilton Health Care Corporation serves communities within a five-county area and includes an acute care hospital, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey Hamilton, three affiliated medical groups, seven Lakeview Child Centers, and the RWJ Hamilton Center for Health & Wellness, home of a medically-based fitness center and the hospital's extensive community education program. Over 1,900 hospital employees and 650 medical staff physicians share RWJ Hamilton's passion for Excellence Through Service. For more information, visit www.rwjhamilton.org.