Title
Dept. / Agency: Health and Community Wellness
Action: ( ) Ratifying (X) Authorizing ( ) Amending
Type of Service: Resolution of Support
Purpose: To support New Jersey State Legislation Reinstating Public Health Priority Funding.
Entity Name: State of New Jersey Legislature
Entity Address: 125 W. State Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08625
Grant Amount: $0.00
Total Project Cost $0.00
City Contribution: $0.00
Other Funding Source/Amount:
Grant Period:
Contract Basis: ( ) Bid ( ) State Vendor ( ) Prof. Ser. ( ) EUS
( ) Fair & Open ( ) No Reportable Contributions ( ) RFP ( ) RFQ
( ) Private Sale () Grant ( ) Sub-recipient (X) n/a
Additional Information:
The City of Newark’s, Department of Health and Community Wellness and the Municipal Council fully supports the proposed legislation, Senate Bill No. 2413 and Assembly Bill No. 4115, and urges the State legislature to promptly pass these bills.
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WHEREAS, the Department of Health and Community Wellness is the Local Board of Health that provides public health services to the City of Newark (“City”); and
WHEREAS, Public Health Priority Funding, although statutorily required, has not been provided to local public health departments since 2011; and
WHEREAS, on May 9, 2022, the Senate referred Bill No. 2413 requiring minimum annual State appropriation of Ten Million Dollars and Zero Cents ($10,000.000.00) for Public Health Priority Funding to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee for consideration; and
WHEREAS, on June 2, 2022, the Assembly referred Bill No. 4115, identical to Senate Bill No. 2413, to the Assembly Health Committee for consideration; and
WHEREAS, the Trust for America’s Health recognizes that public health has been chronically underfunded; and
WHEREAS, emergency funding is not sufficient to address system weaknesses created by chronic underfunding; and
WHEREAS, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reports that seventy-one percent (71%) of the public supports increased funding to public health; and
WHEREAS, the American Public Health Association states that every ten percent (10%) increase in funding for public health programs has the potential to reduce deaths due to largely preventable causes by up to seven percent (7%); and
WHEREAS, it is estimated by America’s Health Rankings that there is a savings of Five Dollars and Sixty Cents ($5.60) for every One Dollar and Zero Cents ($1.00) invested in public health; and
WHEREAS, the vast majority of local public health departments in New Jersey are funded almost entirely by local funds.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, THAT:
1. The City of Newark’s, Department of Health and Community Wellness and the Municipal Council fully supports the proposed legislation, Senate Bill No. 2413 and Assembly Bill No. 4115, and urges the legislature to pass the bills promptly.
2. A copy of this Resolution shall be forwarded to the Office of the Governor of the State of New Jersey, the State Legislators representing the City of Newark, the Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, the President of the New Jersey State Senate, the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, the Assembly Health Committee, and the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health.
STATEMENT
This Resolution hereby supports Bill No. 2413, introduced on May 9, 2022, requiring minimum annual State appropriation of Ten Million Dollars and Zero Cents ($10,000,000.00) for Public Health Priority Funding to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee for consideration, and Bill No. 4115, introduced on June 2, 2022 and is identical to Senate Bill No. 2413, referred to the Assembly Health Committee for consideration.