NJ A4187

Licensed skilled nursing facilities in New Jersey must establish a permanent morgue capable of storing at least two deceased residents during non-emergency periods, with construction completed within one year of plan approval.

Nursing homes must deploy supplemental emergency morgue space (refrigerated vehicles, mobile units, or makeshift facilities) within 72 hours of any declared public emergency and maintain it until the emergency ends.

Each facility must submit a long-term cold storage plan to the Department of Health within 30 days of the act's effective date, detailing permanent morgue specifications, emergency morgue arrangements, storage capacity, and body handling procedures.

Dead bodies must be transferred for autopsy or final disposition within five days during non-emergency periods; facilities must maintain records of all body storage and transfers for five years.

Violations of commissioner orders carry civil penalties up to $1,000 for first offenses and $5,000 for subsequent offenses, with the commissioner authorized to conduct unannounced inspections and seek injunctive relief.