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New Jersey Enhances Disaster Preparedness

The state will install a communications system to link all New Jersey acute care hospitals.

TRENTON, N.J. -- Gov. James McGreevey announced this week that an 800 MHz radio communications system will be installed in each of the state's 85 acute care hospitals.

Gov. McGreevey said the installation of the radio system will make New Jersey the first state in the nation to have its acute care hospitals interconnected by a non-interruptible interoperable communications system.
The New Jersey Hospital Communications Network is being implemented in partnership with the New Jersey Hospital Association.

In addition to acute care hospitals, the New Jersey Hospital Communications Network will interconnect the three state Emergency Operations Centers; the three regional Emergency Medical Service communication centers; the statehouse; the Department of Health and Senior Services; the State Police Office of Emergency Management; the Domestic Security Preparedness Task Force; the Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Hospital Association.

Officials said the New Jersey Hospital Communications Network will piggyback on the radio network of the New Jersey State Police, and 100 radios have been ordered at a total cost of $1.55 million.

The New Jersey Hospital Association is buying 85 of the radios, and the state Department of Health and Senior Services is buying the rest.

The radio communications system was one of the recommendations of the Medical Emergency and Disaster Preparedness and Response Expert Panel (MEDPREP). MEDPREP was formed in November 2001 by then Gov.-Elect McGreevey to develop an agile, coordinated and comprehensive bio terrorism preparedness and response plan for New Jersey.

The MEDPREP is comprised of 25 of the state's leading experts in emergency medicine, infectious diseases, trauma/triage, emergency medical services, nursing, pharmacy, public health and hospitals/healthcare facilities, as well as representatives of the Department of Health and Senior Services, the Office of Emergency Management, and the Office of Counter-Terrorism.

Governor McGreevey has dedicated $12.5 million in the FY03 budget to implement the MEDPREP recommendations as part of the Department of Health and Senior Services Terrorism and Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan.

This state funding supplements $27.2 in federal funding New Jersey has received to strengthen its statewide public health system and regional hospital preparedness.

Office of Gov. James McGreevey