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I have sponsored a series of meningitis control bills over the course of the past five years. My involvement began after I met the parents of a 19-year-old Camden County student, whose life was claimed by meningitis while attending Drexel University in 1996. This young man from Collingswood suffered symptoms from his infection for only ten hours before he died.
Since that tragedy, I have succeeded in passing a meningitis awareness bill into law. That measure, which took effect in May 2000, compelled state health officials to launch a public awareness campaign to educate the public about the causes of meningitis and what can be done to prevent it, particularly at colleges, where dormitory living provides the ideal environment for infection.
The legislative crusade against meningitis has carried over into the current session where I've sponsored two separate measures; one requires pediatricians to inform parents about the meningitis scourge. The other requires full-time college and university students to receive meningitis vaccinations. Additionally, colleges must provide an arena for vaccination to any full-time student enrolled. The only way that a student can forego vaccination is for medical or religious reasons. Unvaccinated students would be excused from classes in the event of an outbreak in the institution. The public awareness campaign will reach health care practitioners as well as the general public, and will target pediatricians with a special emphasis on informing patients of the clinical significance and public health implications of this disease.
Meningoccal meningitis is an insidious killer. It is a contagious bacterial infection of the membranes surrounding the brain. Each year, about 3,000 Americans contract meningococcal meningitis. Of these cases, 300 prove fatal, and 450 victims are left with permanent disabilities, including loss of limbs, deafness, or mental retardation.
Moreover, a study conducted by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found meningitis to be three times more prevalent among first-year college students than among other undergraduates. In addition, the CDC has found that the risk of contracting meningitis is six times greater among college freshmen living in dormitories or group housing, than the average population. The CDC subsequently began recommending the vaccination of incoming college students.
Medical advances have given us the meningitis vaccine as a tool for guarding against this deadly disease. Parenting groups have begun advocating for the vaccination of college students. Through vaccination and cooperative efforts to educate the public about the dangers of meningitis, we can finally take positive steps to turn back this under-reported and hard-to-recognize infection.
Assembly Bill 1548 establishes a statewide allogeneic cord blood bank. It requires certain health insurers to provide coverage for cord blood banking and appropriates $5 million to the Department of Health and Senior Services.
Umbilical cord blood banking is a process in which the umbilical cord blood of a newborn is saved, or "banked," for future use. It can either be banked for an individual's own use, donated to a specific recipient, or donated to an unknown person. Umbilical cord blood is a source of stem cells, which have been used in the treatment of various cancers and blood disorders.
An estimated 128 million Americans suffer from the crippling economic and psychological burden of chronic, degenerative and acute diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's disease. The costs of treating, and lost productivity from, chronic, degenerative and acute diseases in the United States constitutes hundreds of billions of dollars annually. Estimates of the economic costs of these diseases do not account for the extreme human suffering associated with these conditions.
Human stem cells offer immense promise for developing new medical therapies for these debilitating diseases and a critical means to explore fundamental questions of biology. I am a fervent supporter of umbilical stem cell research, which could lead to unprecedented treatments and potential cures for Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and other diseases
Assembly Bill 1548 would establish a statewide, cord blood bank for the storage of stem cells and appropriates $5 million for the collection, processing and transporting of the samples. In addition, this bill requires health insurers in group plans covering more than 50 persons, to provide coverage for this collection, processing, transporting and initial storage. The umbilical cord blood would be for the individual's future use or donation for use by the insured's child covered under the same health benefits plan. The Legislature will appropriate the necessary funds for these purposes annually.
This legislation is important on many fronts. Not only will this help in future research, it could help the individual who donates the umbilical cord during the birth of a child, in the event he or she becomes debilitated.
I am extremely proud to say that New Jersey is the first state in the nation to require that students in grades nine through 12 receive the hepatitis B vaccine. I lobbied for the passage of this bill, because it is a preventative policy and another leap forward in improving the overall health of New Jersey residents.
Immunizations such as this are cost-effective, preventative measures, which save people from preventable illnesses like hepatitis B. Incidentally, this particular vaccine has proven to be helpful in the prevention and treatment of certain cancers. In a sense, this piece of legislation benefits New Jersey residents in more ways than one and becomes the state's first "anti-cancer vaccination program."
Hepatitis B is a serious viral disease that attacks the liver and can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure and death. After tobacco, hepatitis B is the world's leading known cause of cancer. The disease is spread through blood and other bodily fluids and has been shown, in some instances, to remain infectious on environmental surfaces for at least a month at room temperature. Individuals are at greater risk of hepatitis B virus infection who have multiple sex partners, use injection drugs, have household contact with an individual who has lifelong hepatitis B infection, or who travel to areas of the world where hepatitis B is common.
In 1999, an estimated 80,000 individuals in the United States were infected with the hepatitis B virus. One out of 20 individuals in the United States will be infected with the virus at some time in their lives. Approximately 30% of individuals who are infected show no signs or symptoms and can unknowingly pass the virus to others.
The highest rate of hepatitis B disease occurs in individuals 20 to 49 years of age. In 1998, 205 hepatitis B cases were reported in New Jersey, with 60% of those occurring in individuals 25 to 44 years of age.
We need to see a reduction in hepatitis B cases. This bill will require young adults to visit their doctors to get vaccinated and prevent them from contracting this disease.
I challenge the remaining 49 states to follow New Jersey's lead and incorporate similar laws to wipe hepatitis B from the map for good.
A-2444 HIV Drug Resitance Testing
New Jersey is one of the leading states in the number of HIV victims. This bill requires Medicaid coverage of HIV drug resistance testing, including, but not limited to, genotype and phenotype assays for persons diagnosed with HIV infection or AIDS.
HIV patients are typically treated with a combination of 3-4 drugs, which are selected from a universe of 16 drugs. When a patient becomes immune to one or more of these drugs, a substitute is used. Genotype and phenotype tests are used to determine which drugs are no longer effective. The severity and level of HIV determines how often a patient is tested.
These tests are similar in their approaches, yet are different in their methods. Genotype tests determine the genetic sequence of the virus and the patient's resistance is predicted based on the presence of specific mutations. Phenotypes measure actual viral replication in the presence of anti-viral drugs. A phenotype is basically the measure of HIV's ability to grow in the presence of different drugs in a laboratory. Another kind of test is a virtual phenotype. This test takes genotype data and matches it with genotypes in a database to give the extrapolated phenotype results.
The Federal Food and Drug Administration has cleared certain tests as safe and effective. Based on clinical trial data and a rigorous validation process, these tests have been designated as quality assays by the FDA.
A final testing method has been dubbed as "home brew." These are tests, which are developed and validated in house by the laboratory performing the test.
All of these tests and testing methods are included in this bill. Additionally, any future testing methods that have to do with HIV drug resistance testing would also be included.
An accurate cost analysis cannot be done at this time since New Jersey has not attempted anything like this before. However, the Department of Human Service has provided a rough estimate cost of $5.8 million. In time, though, savings would accrue as more accurate drugs are prescribed for HIV and AIDS victims.
In New York State this concept has been successful. New York Medicaid staff estimated that first year cost offsets or savings of $50-$139 million would occur primarily in pharmaceuticals. Additional savings would be realized in a variety of other areas, such as hospitalizations, emergency room visits, skilled nursing, nursing homes, etc. If these calculations hold true in New Jersey Medicaid, which I believe they will, program savings in the range of $14-39 million could be realized by implementation of a program for HIV drug resistance testing.
This is a bill that is of great importance to the people of New Jersey. The number of HIV and AIDS victims is ever increasing and we must do something to improve their quality of life until a cure for this devastating disease is found.
Some people have classified cancer as the "plague of the twentieth century." If this statement is not fact, then it is certainly close to it. It is not necessary to go into the numbers of cancer cases in the State of New Jersey. We all have been close to or known someone who has been afflicted with this debilitating disease. It has a negative effect on all of us. Treatment is frequently difficult and there is no cure. This being said, it is imperative that we assume a leadership role in New Jersey and lobby for statewide cancer research including a South Jersey addition to the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.
The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) was established in 1990 and has become one of the Nation's most rapidly growing cancer centers with a growth rate in patient visits of 8% per month. Starting from a patient base of zero in 1993, CINJ physicians handled over 50,000 patient visits and saw 4,000 new patients in 2001 alone. CINJ's reach is statewide and includes a network of 18 affiliated hospitals covering all 21 counties of New Jersey. Located in New Brunswick, it has one of the largest networks of affiliated hospitals and physicians in the nation; and has one of the finest Pediatric Oncology Programs in the world.
Through its community-based partnerships, CINJ is striving to reduce the cancer mortality rate in New Jersey's underserved population. This is being accomplished by increasing public awareness about early detection of cancer; improving outreach outcomes through investigation of novel approaches to improve education with an understanding of cultural diversity; and investigating nutritional interventions to prevent cancer. CINJ has unique relationships with the pharmaceutical industry. Through the CINJ Corporate Relations Committee, corporate leaders meet regularly with CINJ doctors to accelerate the movement of new and promising treatments to the care of New Jersey patients.
There is no doubt that CINJ is a success story. It has helped countless cancer victims and their families regain their lives. But the State of New Jersey can do more. South Jersey is in desperate need of a sister facility to CINJ. We need to give South Jerseyans easier access to treatment, so they do not have to travel over the bridge, out of state to Pennsylvania or Delaware, for medical services.
Every year the Camden, Gloucester, Burlington and Cumberland County areas gain almost 9,000 new cancer cases. It has been estimated that 30% of these individuals will travel out of state to receive care. In 1999, it is estimated that 2,845 cancer victims left South Jersey and traveled to Pennsylvania for care. This treatment accounted for $78,463,891 in hospital charges in that year alone. A good example of this outward migration is Fox Chase Cancer Center. In 1989, 20% of its patients were from New Jersey. This number grew to 40% in 1997. Once we come to terms with the emotional heartache of a loved one dealing with the pain and fear of cancer, we also realize that there is a business side to this ordeal. Quality care should be accessible close to home. Treatment, clinical trials, the latest medical advancements and the Federal research dollars associated with such, need to be readily available to the people of South Jersey. This is revenue that should be kept in South Jersey to treat the people of South Jersey.
We have the resources at our fingertips to build a new Cancer Institute of New Jersey-Southern Division. The perception of many people is that Philadelphia provides the most state of the art and innovative cancer care technology. Yet, what many do not realize is that out of state competitors in this market, have been tapping South Jersey resources for years. New Jersey has equal resources. We need not reinvent the wheel. We only need to roll an outstanding model south.
A bold, comprehensive plan has been developing through the leadership of CINJ to build a CINJ-South to serve the residents of South Jersey. An alliance has been built between our finest institutions including the UMDNJ, Cooper Hospital, and others. Allying a CINJ-South to this group would create an entity whose grasp would be strong in our communities and whose reach would be far. With the inception of this new facility, we would create a marketplace for cancer research and associated businesses and industry that would be located around the facility. More importantly, quality care would be closer to home.
We currently have a tremendous opportunity to move forward and create a clinical and research powerhouse in our region; one that meets the needs of cancer victims and attracts leaders in clinical and academic medicine. Of key importance will be the ability to provide innovative, high-quality, cancer care and patient-oriented service, in close collaboration with the Cancer Institute of New Jersey.