Sponsors of the Bill
The New Jersey Assembly Bill No. 834 was sponsored by Angelica Jimenez. The sponsor is the assemblywoman for District 32 (Bergen and Hudson). The Bill seeks to reform mental healthcare in the state of New Jersey by making changes regarding treatment of mental healthcare cases (Assembly, No. 814). It discourages the construction of mental health facilities and alcohol rehabilitation centres near schools in the State.
Summary of salient features
The legislation seeks to introduce amendments to mental health reforms by supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes. It prohibits the development of certain structures within 1000 feet radius from elementary schools within the state of New Jersey. These structures are identified as mental health facility, emergency shelters, alcohol treatment facility. The Bill further prohibits the development of these structures near places such as school bus stop, childcare centres and county playgrounds. Although the bill attempts to limit the number of facilities near schools, it provides for the construction of these facilities on the condition that the facility has less than 15 beds and that the said facility is operating according to the law on the effective date (Assembly, No. 814). This provision implies that existing facilities prior to the effective date would be spared the consequences of this law on the account that they have fewer beds. The Bill provides relief on structures located within the same radius provided that they operate legally on the effective date. The Bill would apply to existing facilities that have more than 15 beds even if they have been operating legally, and provided the structures that are located with 1000 feet radius from elementary schools, playgrounds and childcare centres.
Implications of the Bill to a psychiatric nurse practitioner
Stewart and Denisco (2015) describe the role development for the nurse practitioner (NP) has been designed to show both students and practitioners what they require to attain role satisfaction as well discover opportunities for improving the health outcomes for the patient. This Bill has important implications for psychiatric nurse practitioners because it seeks to improve mental health reforms. Psychiatric nurse practitioners deal with patients who suffer from mental health challenges (Stuart, 2014). The intention of the bill is to reduce the development of residential mental health facilities within residential zones and schools. In so doing, the bill would prevent future incidences in which mentally ill people attack other people and children out of mental aggression. It would ensure that people who suffer from mental health challenges get care outside residential zones where they can have specialize treatment away from their relatives and friends.
Psychiatric nurse practitioners can have quality time to attend to mental health challenges and provide appropriate redress to psychiatric patients. Stewart and Denisco (2015) further observed that nurse practitioners should be culturally competent to enable them handle patients from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Cultural competence encompasses being responsive and sensitive the divergent needs of patients. In this regard, a culturally-competent psychiatric nurse practitioner would tolerate the different needs of patients and encourage the recovery process.
Impact on quality of care for mental illness in NJ
The significance of this bill in the provision of quality care for psychiatric patients cannot be gainsaid. The Bill would enhance order in the construction of mental health facilities and ensure prudent allocation of mental health resources. The State of New Jersey increased its budgetary allocation for mental health in the 2015 FY. This increase is an indication of the state’s commitment to improving quality of care among mentally ill people in New Jersey.
References
Assembly, No. 834. State of New Jersey. 217th Legislature Retrieved from
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2016/Bills/A1000/834_I1.PDF
Stewart, J., & Denisco, S. (2015). Role Development for the nurse practitioner. Boston, MA:
Jones and Bartlett
Stuart, G. W. (2014). Principles and practice of psychiatric nursing. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
