With a growing number of residents needing treatment at New Jersey hospitals for COVID-19, Assembly Democrats Nicholas Chiaravalloti, James Kennedy and Shanique Speight sponsor legislation to expedite the reactivation of retired and inactive medical professionals’ occupational licenses. The bill passed the full Assembly Monday, 79-0-0, and will now head to the Senate.
This legislation (A-3901) is complementary to another bill (A-3862) recently signed into law that expedites the licensure of medical professionals from other states coming to New Jersey to assist with this health emergency. Both measures anticipate the need for an increased number of professionals to help deal with the influx of patients.
Upon passage of the bill, Assembly members Chiaravalloti (D-Hudson), Kennedy (D-Middlesex, Somerset and Union) and Speight (D-Essex) released the following joint statement:
“We know the number of infected residents is only going to grow as this pandemic continues. Although we are doing everything we can to spread out the amount of COVID-19 cases over a longer period of time to prevent the healthcare system from becoming overwhelmed, we need to prepare for the possibility of a drastic spike in the number of patients.
“By waiving the usual requirements to relicense a retired or inactive medical provider, we can get these experienced professionals back in the field a lot sooner to help deal with this crisis.
“Our healthcare providers are working hard every day to save the lives of New Jersey residents during this trying time. We are waging a war against the coronavirus, which means our state must be prepared to provide reinforcements to the people on the front lines of this fight.”