New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 10 - HUMAN SERVICES
Chapter 42A - LIFE-THREATENING EMERGENCIES
Subchapter 2 - REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Section 10:42A-2.1 - General standards

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code 10:42A-2.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024

(a) All staff shall be responsible to call 911 in a situation in which a prudent person could reasonably believe that immediate intervention is necessary to protect the life of a person receiving services at a facility for persons with developmental disabilities or traumatic brain injury, or to protect the lives of other persons at the facility or agency, from an immediate threat or actual occurrence of a potentially fatal injury, impairment to bodily functions, or dysfunction of a bodily organ or part, except as provided in (b) below.

(b) A staff member need not call 911 if the staff member is certain that another staff member has already called 911 about the life-threatening emergency.

(c) When only one staff member is present when a life-threatening emergency occurs that staff member shall call 911 and, if he or she is trained to provide immediate assistance, the staff member shall provide assistance.

(d) When the person suffering the life-threatening emergency has a DNR Order or POLST in effect, existence of the DNR Order or POLST does not relieve the staff member from the requirement to call 911. Staff shall call 911 if there is a life-threatening emergency but provide a copy of the DNR Order or POLST to emergency staff responding to the 911 call. Circumstances arising from a terminal condition for which a person is receiving hospice care shall not be considered a life-threatening emergency.

(e) If a person experiences chronic seizure activity, that person's licensed medical practitioner, who is not employed by the facility where the person resides, may provide a prescription or standing order to the facility defining when 911 should not be called because the person's seizure activity is not a life-threatening emergency.

(f) The 911 call shall include:

1. The address and/or location of the emergency:

2. The telephone number where the emergency is located:

3. A brief description of the problem including whether the person(s) is conscious and, or breathing; and

4. The name of staff member calling 911.

(g) Once the call has been made, the staff member shall stay on the line to respond to questions from the 911 operator.

(h) Each facility covered by this chapter, except those facilities licensed under N.J.A.C. 10:44B, Standards for Community Care Residences for the Developmentally Disabled, shall provide training in life-threatening emergencies to all staff members through curriculum developed by the Division. Facilities licensed under N.J.A.C. 10:44B shall be trained by the Division.

(i) Each facility covered by this chapter shall maintain documentation of completion of staff training and provide it to the Department or Division upon request.

(j) Every 911 call and every failure to make a 911 call in the event of a life-threatening emergency shall be reported to the Department as an unusual incident and the facility shall maintain a copy of the unusual incident report.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Jersey may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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