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A4867
ASSEMBLY, No. 4867
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MAY 4, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman� GREGORY P. MCGUCKIN
District 10 (Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes toll free helpline for first responders,
health care workers, and other frontline workers experiencing post-traumatic
stress disorder.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning post-traumatic stress disorder and the
coronavirus disease 2019 and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.� The Department of
Health shall establish, in coordination with University Behavioral HealthCare
of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, a toll free helpline for first
responders, health care workers, and other frontline workers experiencing
post-traumatic stress disorder
due to their work
during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
���� b.��� The helpline shall be
accessible 24 hours a day, seven days per week and shall respond to calls from first
responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families.�
The operators of the helpline shall seek to identify first responders, health
care workers, other frontline workers, and their families who should be
referred to further peer support and counseling services, and provide
referrals.
���� c.���� To the greatest extent
possible, the operators of the help line, shall be (1) familiar with
post-traumatic stress disorder and the emotional and psychological tensions,
depressions, and anxieties unique to first responders, health care workers, other
frontline workers, and their families or (2) trained to provide counseling
services involving marriage and family life, substance abuse, personal stress
management, and other emotional or psychological disorders or conditions which
may be likely to adversely affect the personal and service related well-being
of first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their
families.
���� d.��� The Department of Health
and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey shall provide for the
confidentiality of the names of the persons calling, the information discussed,
and any referrals for further peer support or counseling; provided, however, the
Department of Health and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey may
establish guidelines providing for the tracking of any person who exhibits a
severe emotional or psychological disorder or condition which the operator
handling the call reasonably believes might result in harm to the first
responder, health care worker, other frontline worker, or any other person.
���� 2.��� The Commissioner of
Health shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the
�Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as are
necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes a toll
free helpline for first responders, health care workers, and other frontline
workers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.�
���� Under the bill, the Department
of Health (DOH) is to establish, in coordination with University Behavioral
HealthCare of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Rutgers), a toll
free helpline for first responders, health care workers, and other frontline
workers experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder due to their work during
the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
���� The helpline is to be
accessible 24 hours a day, seven days per week and is to respond to calls from first
responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families.�
The operators of the helpline are to seek to identify first responders, health
care workers, other frontline workers, and their families who should be
referred to further peer support and counseling services, and provide
referrals.� To the greatest extent possible, the operators of the help line,
are to be (1) familiar with post-traumatic stress disorder and the emotional
and psychological tensions, depressions, and anxieties unique to first responders,
health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families or (2) trained
to provide counseling services involving marriage and family life, substance
abuse, personal stress management, and other emotional or psychological
disorders or conditions which may be likely to adversely affect the personal
and service related well-being of first responders, health care workers, other
frontline workers, and their families.
���� The bill provides that the DOH
and Rutgers are to provide for the confidentiality of the names of the persons
calling, the information discussed, and any referrals for further peer support
or counseling; provided, however, the DOH and Rutgers may establish guidelines
providing for the tracking of any person who exhibits a severe emotional or
psychological disorder or condition which the operator handling the call
reasonably believes might result in harm to the first responder, health care
worker, other frontline worker, or any other person.
���� �Frontline worker� means a
person who provides an essential service or key public service, including, but
not limited to, employees of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in
the Department of Children and Families.