Image of nurses' hands at computer keyboard

The New Jersey Legislature hasunanimously passed a bill that would require nursing home operatorsto swap out regular mattresses with pressure-relief mattresses withinthree years. Operators would have to buy the more costly mattresseswhen replacing older ones starting a year from the bill’s enactment.

“While pressure redistributionmattresses may cost more up front than the standard springmattresses, we cannot put a price on the continued health andwellness of our state’s most vulnerable senior citizens,” saidbill co-sponsor Sen. Bob Gordon (D-Bergen). “While these newmattresses alone won’t make bed sores an ailment of the past, theywill greatly reduce the incidence of bed sores, and make theirtreatment much easier on the dedicated nursing home staff.”

Providers havebeen strongly involved in creating and promoting the bill, said a topofficial with the Health Care Association of New Jersey.