New rules implementing the Autumn Joy Stillbirth Research and Dignity Act (Act) at N.J.A.C. 8:35 are being proposed by the Certificate of Need and Healthcare Facility Licensure Program in the Division of Certificate of Need and Licensing of the Health Systems Branch of the Department of Health (Department) and the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry in the Policy and Strategic Planning Branch. The proposed new rules would implement the Act by establishing requirements that health care facilities providing obstetrics and newborn services must follow when a stillbirth occurs. The requirements ensure the patient and family experiencing the stillbirth are provided with emotional support, compassionate care, psychological support and dignified treatment. The rules also outline the data that facilities must collect regarding each stillbirth, including data from autopsies performed on stillborn children. The rules spell out how this information should be reported to the Department, so it can be made available in a deidentified format to the public and researchers who are studying how to prevent and reduce the occurrences of stillbirths.
The proposal appears in the May 1, 2017 issue of the New Jersey Register. The public has until June 30, 2017 to comment on the proposal.
Individuals wishing to comment on the proposal must submit written comments either electronically by June 30, 2017 to http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/ecomments.shtml or by regular mail postmarked on or before June 30, 2017 to Joy L. Lindo, Director, Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance, New Jersey Department of Health, PO Box 360, Trenton, NJ 08625-0360.
LexisNexis provides free online access to the New Jersey Register at http://www.lexisnexis.com/njoal. An unofficial copy of the proposal is also available from the Department’s website at http://www.nj.gov/health/legal/rules/notice-of-rule-proposals/.
