Day at the Capitol Bring Results in Trenton
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-06-29 15:15:12.250463-04:00
AARP was proud to hold its annual Day at the Capitol on June 7. The Day at the Capitol is where our members make a difference in Trenton on issues that affect everyone.
Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts and Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred Jacobs gave the keynote addresses, stressing the need for health care for all New Jerseyans. We at AARP are excited to share the very same goal through the Divided We Fail movement. Commissioner Jacobs also announced accelerated implementation of the landmark Independence, Dignity and Choice in Long-Term Care Act, passed with AARP support in 2006.
AARP's advocacy is clearly effective. As the event was being held, the Senate Health Committee held a hearing on mandatory reporting of hospital-acquired infections. AARP has been working to make every hospital's infection rates public, and we were pleased to see Committee Chair Joseph Vitale offer his support and pass the bill out of committee. Both the Senate and Assembly will soon be voting on these bills.
Similarly, AARP is fighting for reporting of preventable medical errors. Frightening numbers of people are needlessly dying from these errors in America. How many? It's the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of passengers crashing every single day.
Mandatory reporting is the first step toward ending this crisis. Assemblyman Paul Moriarty and Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, who also spoke at Day at the Capitol, have been admirable champions of this bill. Call your legislators today to make sure it becomes law.
Jim Hooker of NJN did a superb job of interviewing legislators following their speeches, and AARP New Jersey President Sy Larson gave a rousing speech in support of the Divided We Fail movement.
Our thanks to everyone who made Day at the Capitol a rousing success.
Related Articles
- Divided We Fail
- Become a Divided We Fail Voter
- Volunteer with AARP New Jersey
- Find Your Local AARP Chapter
preview