SCHAER HOSPITAL TRUSTEES TRAINING BILL PASSES ASSEMBLY

(TRENTON) -- The Assembly today passed legislation Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D-Passaic/Bergen/Essex) sponsored that would require all newly appointed hospital trustees to participate in a comprehensive training program to ensure they better meet the demands of serving on a hospital board.
"Hospitals across New Jersey are being overseen by trustees who have never undergone financial, management or healthcare training," said Assemblyman Schaer, hospital board member for Saint Mary's in Passaic. "This legislation will ensure that New Jersey's hospitals are operating efficiently and are supervised by trustees who can assure the delivery of quality health care for all New Jerseyans."

The legislation (A-3633) would direct the state Department of Health and Human Services to consult with the New Jersey Hospital Association, the Hospital Alliance of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals to create a training curriculum that would include a review of the types of financial, organizational, legal, regulatory, and ethical issues that a board member may be required to consider as a hospital trustee.

The members of hospital boards are responsible for supervising a hospital's administrative staff, hiring practices, creating annual budgets and guiding medical and health care policy. Currently, there are no laws governing the appointment of hospital board trustees.

"New Jersey's 120 hospitals are responsible for the care of more than nine million residents yet hospital board trustees are not required to undergo training of any kind," said Schaer. "It is incumbent upon the state to ensure that the boards who govern health care institutions are equipped with the tools necessary to identify the best medical practices, management techniques and responsible fiscal spending."

Assemblyman Schaer has been a member of the board of trustees for Saint Mary's Hospital in Passaic City for more than a decade. Schaer believes that since hospitals have increasing needs for governmental financial assistance, trustee training should be mandatory to ensure hospital trustees are educated about basic fiscal managerial and ethical aspects of the position.

The legislation is also sponsored by Assemblyman Eric Munoz, M.D. (R-Morris).

The measure passed the assembly 77 to 0 with one abstention. It now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
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FOR RELEASE:
January 8, 2007
CONTACT:
Assemblyman Schaer
(973) 249-3665