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  3. Media Advisory: NJ Health Commissioner to visit RWJ Barnabas Health Jersey City Medical Center to Highlight New Minimum Wage Law

PO Box 360
Trenton, NJ 08625-0360

For Release:
March 25, 2019

Shereef Elnahal
Commissioner

For Further Information Contact:
Office of Communications
(609) 984-7160

Media Advisory: NJ Health Commissioner to visit RWJ Barnabas Health Jersey City Medical Center to Highlight New Minimum Wage Law

³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Shereef Elnahal will join RWJBarnabas Health CEO Barry Ostrowsky and Jersey City Medical Center (JCMC) CEO Michael Prilutsky in Jersey City on Tuesday, March 26 to highlight Gov. Phil Murphy’s signing of the $15 minimum wage law.

They will discuss the positive impact raising the minimum wage in ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ would have on health outcomes, turnover rates, job performance and overall mortality rates.

Last month, Gov. Murphy signed legislation that will raise ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2024.

Under the law, the base minimum wage for ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ workers will increase to $10/hour on July 1, 2019. By January 1, 2020, the statewide minimum wage will increase to $11/hour, and then will increase by $1/hour every January 1st until it reaches $15/hour on January 1, 2024, impacting more than one million ³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ workers.

"Studies have demonstrated that increased wages improve public health," Commissioner Elnahal said. "For every $1 increase in the minimum wage, low birth weight goes down by 1-2 percent and infant mortality goes down by 4 percent."

The event will begin at 10:45 a.m. in the main lobby at Jersey City Medical Center (355 Grand St., Jersey City, NJ 07302).

MEDIA RSVP: Press is invited to attend and should RSVP to Rebecca Smith at rsmith@randjsc.com or 908-801-1158 (cell) or 908-334-7917 (direct office line).

In December of last year, Barry Ostrowsky, President and Chief Executive Officer, RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH), announced the hospital system’s intent to gradually increase its minimum wage to $15 an hour starting in 2019. The hospital system has 34,00 employees around the state.

“We are committed to our system’s mission to go beyond helping people when they are sick and extend to building healthier communities,” said Ostrowsky. “One of the ways we accomplish our mission and stay true to our commitment is by vastly strengthening and investing in our workforce.”

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