New Jersey led the nation as the first state to pass legislation creating a One Health initiative. P.L. 2021, Chapter 117 (adopted and effective on June 24, 2021), which establishes the “New Jersey One Health Task Force”.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy proclaimed November 3, 2025 as “One Health Day” in the State of New Jersey. “One Health Day” is an awareness campaign recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, plant, and environmental health, and promotes collaboration to address these interdisciplinary issues.
While “One Heath” is not a new concept, the legislation states, “it has become increasingly important in recent years as many factors have changed interactions between people, animals and the environment, leading to the emergence or reemergence of many diseases”.
This legislation declares that it is “in the public interest of the State of New Jersey to establish a permanent New Jersey One Health Task Force to promote health and wellness of New Jersey residents, animals, including pets, livestock, and wildlife and natural resources by encouraging the collaborative efforts of experts and leveraging knowledge and resources effectively.”
The New Jersey One Health Task Force is charged with the task to “develop a strategic plan to promote inter-disciplinary communication and collaboration between physicians, veterinarians, and other scientific professionals and State agencies, with the goal of promoting the health and well-being of the State’s residents, animals and environment.”
The legislation provides the New Jersey One Health Task Force shall consist of 13 members as follows:
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The Secretary of Agriculture, or the secretary’s designee, who shall serve ex officio;
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The Commissioner of Environmental Protection, or the commissioner’s designee, who shall serve ex officio;
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The Commissioner of Health, or the commissioner’s designee, who shall serve ex officio;
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10 public members to be appointed by the Governor, as follows:
- one person representing the medical community, who is a medical practitioner licensed to practice in the State;
- two people who are veterinarians licensed or approved to practice in the State by the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, one of whom shall have expertise, knowledge, and experience with farm animals;
- one person with expertise, knowledge, and experience in medical research;
- one person with expertise, knowledge, and experience in zoonotic diseases;
- two people with expertise, knowledge, and experience in epidemiology or biomedical sciences; and
- three people representing the State’s academic community with expertise, knowledge, and experience in public health, ecology, natural resources, or environmental and biological sciences.
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The New Jersey Department of Agriculture explains the purpose of the One Health initiative as follows:
New Jersey was the first state in the nation to legislate a One Health initiative by establishing the OHTF (P.L. 2021, Chapter 117). “One Health” is a concept that recognizes the strong connections and interdependencies between human, animal, and environmental health, and calls for a collaborative, multi-sector, and transdisciplinary approach. The OHTF is comprised of members representing a variety of disciplines, including human and veterinary medicine, public health, epidemiology, and academic research.
The Strategic Plan sets forth six major goals for the OHTF to accomplish:
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Strengthening One Health Coordination and Collaboration,
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Stimulating Interdisciplinary Health Research and Innovation,
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Developing a One Health Cognizant Workforce,
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Increasing Public Awareness of the Importance of One Health,
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Improving Data Accessibility Across Sectors and Disciplines, and
- Ensuring Sustainability for the One Health Approach in New Jersey.
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Each goal is supported by underlying short-term (one-year) or longer-term (3-5 year) objectives. The Task Force’s Strategic Planning Committee will revisit and revise these goals and objectives annually to assess progress.
New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Ed Wengryn states: “From food safety to animal disease to soil and water quality, each challenge we face is deeply interconnected. By addressing them holistically, we can ensure the resilience of our agricultural systems.”
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette states: “Through the One Health Task Force, New Jersey is working to advance our scientific understanding of the complex relationships between public health, our environment, and plant and animal health,”. “This first Strategic Plan will help spur a coordinated, multi-disciplined response to growing threats to wildlife and agricultural commodities, ultimately better protecting public health.”
New Jersey Department of Health Acting Commissioner Jeff Brown states: “Protecting the public’s health requires understanding and responding to diseases and other health threats that spread between people and animals. It also requires recognizing how these challenges impact our globally connected environment. This strategic plan puts New Jersey at the vanguard of science and public health, providing a roadmap for building the infrastructure that will undergird this complex and essential work.”
You may find more information about New Jersey’s One Health Task Force on the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) website.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture offers a new tool to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration in New Jersey, the OneHealthConnect listserv. You may contact me at afox@capehart.com if you need assistance registering for the listserv, and receive rolling email updates or weekly digests.
