Jaden's Law; to require the Department of Health to establish program to educate citizens of option to donate bone marrow to join the National Bone Marrow Donor Program registry throug h Preserve Our Legacy, Inc.

AN ACT concerning bone marrow donation and designated as Jaden's law, and supplementing Titles 26 and 45 of the Revised Statutes.

BE IN ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services shall prepare an online brochure for display on the Internet website of the Department of Health and Senior Services, based upon information derived from the National Marrow Donor Program, or NMDP, for the purpose of section 2 of P.L.(C. )(pending before the Legislature as this act), and shall be designed to inform patients of the option to become a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC), donor by registering with the NMDP and to answer common questions about bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC), donation.

b. The brochure shall describe:

•  the health benefits to the minority community from making a bone marrow, (PBSC), donation through the NMDP;

•  how to register with the NMDP

•  the procedures for making a bone marrow, (PBSC), donation through the NMDP, including notice that there is no charge to the donor or the donor's family if they are the match for a searching recipient;

•  the circumstances and procedures by which a patient may receive a transfusion from another patient's previously donated blood; and

•  any other aspects of bone marrow, (PBSC), donation that the commissioner deems appropriate for the purpose of this act.

The Department of Health and Senior Services shall encourage the dissimilation of this brochure in minority communities which will increase the racial and ethnic diversity of the Registry, including but not limited to Native Americans (Indians), Black or African-American, Asian, or Hispanic. The Legislature shall appropriate two million dollars from the general revenue to the Department of Health and Senior Services in collaboration with Preserve Our Legacy, Inc. to develop and disseminate the brochure throughout the state.

This act shall take effect on the 90 th day following enactment.

This bill, which is designated as Jaden's Law, is designed to promote awareness among patients of their option to become bone marrow and peripheral blood stem (PBSC) donors.

The bill provides specially as follows:

· The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services is to prepare a brochure for display on the Internet website of the Department of Health and Senior Services, based upon information derived from the National Marrow Donor Program, or NMDP, which may be downloaded by physicians for the purposes of this bill, and is to be designed to inform patients of the option to become a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC), donor by registering with NMDP and to answer common questions about bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell, or (PBSC), donation.

· The brochure is to describe:

--the health benefits to the community from making a bone marrow or PBSC donation through the NMDP;

--- how to register with NMDP;

--- the procedures for making a bone marrow, (PBSC), donation through the NMDP, including notice that there is no charge to the donor or the donor's family if they are the match for a searching recipient;

---the circumstances and procedures by which a patient may receive a transfusion of the patient's previously donated blood; and

-- any other aspects of bone marrow, (PBSC), donation that the commissioner deems appropriate for the purposes of the bill.

The bill encourages dissemination within the racial and ethnic communities namely given several statistics from the NMDP and Preserve Our Legacy, Inc.

•  While the likelihood of finding a donor has increased accordingly with the size and diversity of the Registry, there is still a special need to recruit more donors who are: Black, African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic and Latino.

•  Overall, minorities are underrepresented on the NMDP Registry because more awareness is needed about the donation process. Also, there is a high level of misperception in minority communities about what marrow donation really entails, as well as a general skepticism of the medical establishment .

•  It is really important to dispel the myths about marrow donation in minority communities.

•  The bill takes effect on the 90th day following enactment