"Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education Act."

A4832

ASSEMBLY, No. 4832

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 4, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman� ANNETTE QUIJANO

District 20 (Union)

SYNOPSIS

���� �Parkinson�s Disease Public Awareness and Education
Act.��

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning Parkinson�s disease and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised
Statutes.

����
Be It Enacted

by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Parkinson's Disease Public Awareness and Education
Act.�

���� 2.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.���� Parkinson�s disease is
a debilitating, painful, and incurable neurological disorder of unknown origin
that disrupts and can end the lives of those who suffer from it;

���� b.��� Parkinson�s disease
causes diverse symptoms, including rigidity, slowness of movement, poor
balance, and tremors, which lead to an impaired ability to walk, speak,
swallow, and even breathe, so that the end result can be a clear mind trapped
inside a body that has lost its ability to function;

���� c.���� The visible symptoms of
Parkinson�s disease are often mistaken to be a normal part of the aging
process;

���� d.��� In addition, many people
with the disease encounter precarious legal and personal situations in which
they are erroneously thought to be under the influence of illegal or
prescription drugs or alcohol due to their movement and gait patterns;

���� e.���� Parkinson�s disease
takes an enormous emotional, psychological, and physical toll on caregivers and
families, potentially overwhelming their lives;

���� f.���� It has been estimated
that 1.5 million Americans have been diagnosed with Parkinson�s disease, 50,000
more are diagnosed nationally each year, and another 1.5 million persons have
the disease but have never seen a neurologist;

���� g.��� Parkinson�s disease
costs Americans $25 billion per year, including medical treatments, disability
payments, and lost productivity;

���� h.��� Medications can only
control some of the symptoms of the disease and only for uncertain periods of
time;

���� i.���� New Jersey, with the
largest concentration of pharmaceutical companies of any state in the nation
and its top academic research facilities, is a center for Parkinson's disease
research and treatment;

���� j.���� The �Morris K. Udall
Parkinson�s Disease Research Act of 1997,� Pub.L.105-78, provides federal
funding through the National Institutes of Health for Parkinson�s disease, and

April 11 has been proclaimed to be
World Parkinson�s Day in order to recognize the need for more research and help
in dealing with the devastating effects of this disease;

���� k.��� This State, through the
enactment of Joint Resolution No. 17 on January 7, 2000, has designated April
in each year as �Parkinson�s Disease Awareness Month� in New Jersey, and
directs the Governor to annually issue a proclamation calling upon the public officials
and citizens of the State to observe this month with appropriate activities and
programs;

���� l.���� Increased public
awareness and education are needed among health care, social services,
judicial, law enforcement, and emergency medical services personnel in order to
better respond to the needs of Parkinson�s disease patients and their
caregivers and families; and

���� m.�� It is imperative for New
Jersey to commit itself to actively support such public awareness and
education efforts throughout the State in order to better meet the needs of its
citizens who are suffering from Parkinson�s disease.

���� 3.��� As used in this act:

���� �Commissioner� means the
Commissioner of Health.

���� �Department� means the
Department of Health.

���� �Program� means the
Parkinson�s disease public awareness and education program established pursuant
to this act.

���� 4.��� The Commissioner of
Health, subject to available

appropriations, shall establish a
Parkinson�s disease public awareness and education program.

���� a.���� The purpose of the
program shall be to promote public awareness of Parkinson�s disease and the
value of early detection and possible treatments, including the benefits and
risks of those treatments.� The Department of Health may accept, for that
purpose, any special grant of monies, services, or property from the federal
government or any of its agencies, or from any foundation, organization, or
medical school.

���� b.��� The program shall
include the following:

���� (1)�� Development of a public
education and outreach campaign to promote Parkinson�s disease awareness and
education, including, but not limited to, the following subjects:

���� (a)�� the cause and nature of
the disease;

���� (b)�� diagnostic procedures
and appropriate indications for their use;

���� (c)�� lifestyle issues
relating to how a person copes with Parkinson�s disease, including, but not
limited to, nutrition, diet, and physical exercise;

���� (d)�� environmental safety and
injury prevention; and

���� (e)�� availability of
Parkinson�s disease diagnostic and treatment services in the community;

���� (2)�� Development of
educational materials to be made available to consumers through local boards of
health, physicians, hospitals, and clinics;

���� (3)�� Development of
professional education programs for health care providers to assist them in
understanding research findings and the subjects set forth in paragraph (1) of
this subsection;

���� (4)�� Development of
educational programs for other personnel, including judicial staff, police
officers, fire fighters, and social services and emergency medical service
providers, to assist them in recognizing the symptoms of Parkinson�s disease
and understanding how to respond to the needs of persons with the disease in
the course of performing their duties, including dissemination of the
informational booklet prepared pursuant to section 5 of this act; and

���� (5)�� Development and
maintenance of a list of current providers of specialized services for the
diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's disease.� Dissemination of the list
shall be accompanied by a description of diagnostic procedures, appropriate
indications for their use, and a cautionary statement about the current status
of Parkinson's disease research and treatment.� The statement shall also
indicate that the department does not endorse specific Parkinson's disease
programs or centers in this State.

���� 5.��� The department, in
consultation with the New Jersey Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease
Association and the Movement Disorders Center at the Robert Wood Johnson
University Medical Group, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, shall
prepare, and make available on the department�s

Internet website, in
English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable by a patient
or other non-health care professional, information about the symptoms and
treatment of Parkinson�s disease and any other information that the
commissioner deems to be necessary.� This information may be revised by the
department whenever new information about Parkinson�s disease becomes
available.

���� 6.��� The Commissioner of
Health, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410
(C.52:14B-1 et seq.), may adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the
purposes of this act.

���� 7.��� This act shall take
effect on the 180th day following enactment, except that the Commissioner of
Health may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be
necessary for the implementation of the act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill, designated as the
�Parkinson�s Disease Public Awareness and Education Act,� requires the
Commissioner of Health to establish a Parkinson�s disease public awareness and
education program, subject to available appropriations.�

���� The program is to include the
development of a public education and outreach campaign to promote Parkinson's
disease awareness and education, including, but not limited to: (1) the cause
and nature of the disease; (2) diagnostic procedures and appropriate
indications for their use; (3) lifestyle issues relating to how a person copes
with Parkinson�s disease; (4) environmental safety and injury prevention; and
(5) availability of Parkinson's disease diagnostic and treatment services in
the community.

���� The program is also to include
the development of: educational materials to be made available to consumers
through local boards of health, physicians, hospitals, and clinics;
professional education programs for health care providers to assist them in understanding
research findings and the subjects set forth in the bill; and educational
programs for other personnel, including judicial staff, police officers, fire
fighters, and social services and emergency medical service providers, to
assist them in recognizing the symptoms of Parkinson�s disease and
understanding how to respond to the needs of persons with the disease in the
course of performing their duties, including dissemination of the information
prepared pursuant to the bill.�

���� The program is also to include
the development and maintenance of a list of current providers of specialized
services for the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson�s disease. Dissemination
of the list is to be accompanied by a description of diagnostic procedures,
appropriate indications for their use, and a cautionary statement about the
current status of Parkinson�s disease research and treatment. The statement
must indicate that DOH does not endorse specific Parkinson�s disease programs
or centers in this State.

���� The bill directs DOH, in
consultation with the New Jersey Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease
Association and the Movement Disorders Center at the Robert Wood Johnson
University Medical Group, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, to
prepare, and make available on the department�s Internet website, in English
and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable to patients and
other laypeople, information about the symptoms and treatment of Parkinson�s
disease, and other information the commissioner deems to be necessary.�