MEDIA ADVISORY - Senator Vitale to Participate in Discussion of S-CHIP Program and NJ FamilyCare Tomorrow

**MEDIA ADVISORY**

SENATOR VITALE TO PARTICIPATE IN DISCUSSION OF S-CHIP PROGRAM AND NJ FAMILYCARE TOMORROW

Senator Will Also Attend Health Forum on Tobacco Following S-CHIP News Conference

NEW BRUNSWICK - Senator Joseph F. Vitale, D-Middlesex, will participate in a news conference TOMORROW, MAY 31, at ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL to discuss emergency funding for the federal S-CHIP program and NJ FamilyCare, the program which provides health care access for the uninsured.

Senator Vitale, the Chair of the State Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, and author of New Jersey's FamilyCare program, will join Congressman Frank Pallone, D-6, the Chair of the Congressional Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Health, as well as New Jersey Commissioner of Human Services, Jennifer Velez, to discuss a federal block grant, signed into law on May 25, which would subsidize New Jersey's efforts to insure uninsured children. The three will also be on hand to discuss FamilyCare enrollment and the state of the FamilyCare program.

Senator Vitale testified before Congressman Pallone's committee earlier in the year on the need to reauthorize the S-CHIP program, to provide essential federal support to state programs intended to provide access to health care for all.

The news conference will be held in the atrium at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at 11:00 A.M..

Following the news conference, Senator Vitale and Congressman Pallone will participate in a forum on federal legislation granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over tobacco products. The legislation is intended to give the FDA the ability to crack down on deceptive advertising and marketing their products to children, as well as give the agency the ability to regulate the harmful ingredients included in cigarettes.

Senator Vitale and Congressman Pallone will be joined by Gerry Schwab of the American Heart Association to support the legislation. The forum will be held in the courtyard of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at 1:00 P.M..

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VITALE SCHEDULE _ Public Schedule for State Senator Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex:

11:00 a.m. Attends news conference at RWJ University Hospital to discuss S-CHIP funding and NJ FamilyCare with Congressman Frank Pallone and Human Services Commissioner Jennifer Velez. Location: Atrium at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, One Robert Wood Johnson Place, New Brunswick.

1:00 p.m. Attends health forum supporting federal legislation allowing FDA to regulate tobacco with Congressman Frank Pallone and anti-tobacco advocates. Location: Courtyard at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, One Robert Wood Johnson Place, New Brunswick.