New Jersey § 45:9-7

§ 45:9-7.

The Legislature finds and declares that: a. The findings of a recently reported, federally-funded study by Georgetown University,

in conjunction with the Rand Corporation and the University of Pennsylvania, which

were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, indicate that physicians are

far less likely to refer blacks and women than white men with identical complaints

of chest pain to heart specialists for cardiac catheterization; and the authors of

this study suggest that the difference in referral rates stems from racial and sexual

biases; b. These findings are the latest in a growing body of medical literature which documents

race and gender-based disparities in the provision of health care, especially in the

treatment of cardiovascular disease; however, according to the Surgeon General of

the United States, the Georgetown University study represents the best attempt to

date to document the racial attitudes of physicians as a factor in the poorer health

of African Americans; c. It is estimated that the minority population in the United States will increase

by 60% between now and the year 2010; d. Cultural awareness and cultural competence are essential skills for providing quality

health care to a diverse patient population; e. Only a small percentage of medical schools nationwide currently provide some formal

training in cultural competence; f. The Association of American Medical Colleges is working to help medical schools

improve the teaching of cultural competency; and g. The public interest in providing quality health care to all segments of society

dictates the need for a formal requirement that medical professionals be trained in

the provision of culturally competent health care as a condition of licensure to practice

medicine in New Jersey.