(Camden, NJ) – Governor Phil Murphy announced yesterday, May 6, that New Jersey has engaged a team of experts with national experience to conduct a rapid review of the state’s 575 long-term care facilities to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and reduce impacts of future outbreaks. There are 56 long-term care facilities in Camden County.
The team will produce a set of recommendations for the New Jersey Department of Health and long-term care facilities, as well as advise on potential state or federal action to improve quality, safety, and resilience within New Jersey’s long-term care system. These recommendations will guide how long-term care facilities can safely reopen for residents and staff after the current COVID-19 outbreak and address mitigation, protection, and resiliency against future outbreaks. The Department of Health will continue implementing protocols, inspections, and testing at all long-term care facilities while this review takes place.
“This is a necessary step to understand the tragic loss of life which has occurred in our long-term care facilities, and to ensure that they are prepared to prevent additional tragedies in the future,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. “I applaud the governor for taking action and holding these facilities, which house our most vulnerable residents, to the highest possible standards.”
The team of experts will be led by Cindy Mann, a 30-year expert in federal and state health policy who ran Medicaid in the Obama Administration as former Deputy Administrator at the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Carol Raphael, former Chief Executive Officer and President of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, as well as the former board chair of AARP.
For additional information, read more here.