By Lilo H. Stainton, NJ Spotlight

This story was written and produced by NJ Spotlight. It is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. To read more, visit njspotlight.com

New Jersey plans to use a new, easier-to-administer COVID-19 test to screen residents and staff at state-run facilities for individuals with significant developmental disabilities and at nursing homes in South Jersey, strategy officials said could serve as a model for more widespread public testing as the state tries to recover from the coronavirus.

The initiative — the state’s first foray into large-scale institutional testing — will focus first on the 1,238 residents and roughly 4,300 employees at New Jersey’s five developmental centers; nearly 250 people living or working at these sites have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and seven residents have died of the disease.

State officials said they are also working with leaders at Cooper University Health Care, in Camden, to create a testing program for residents and staff at 16 long-term care facilities in the region; the goal is to use this screening to help contain the spread of the virus in a region that has so far been spared the worst of the outbreak. Across the state, nearly 13,800 positive COVID-19 tests have been connected to nursing homes and other residential care sites, and at least 1,540 deaths have been reported, with the worst impact at facilities in North Jersey.

Another 24,000 individuals with disabilities live at group homes in the community operated by state contractors; among this group, 221 have tested positive for the viral infection and 26 have died, according to the latest statistics. These facilities are not part of the initial saliva-testing program, but state officials said they intend to use this method to screen additional state workers and individuals in institutional care, so they could be among those on the list for this approach.

‘Prioritizing vulnerable populations’
“As we work to expand testing across the state, we will be prioritizing the most vulnerable populations like those who reside in these centers,” state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said. Residents in more crowded institutional settings, where it is hard to maintain social distance, are particularly at risk for becoming infected.

“Human Services is continuing to work 24/7 to support and protect individuals with developmental disabilities across our state,” said Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson, whose department oversees programs for developmentally disabled residents. “The Department will continue to take all available actions to support our residents and staff.”

The state has faced a growing backlash for its efforts to control the spread in some public institutions, like veterans’ homes and prisons, where the virus has exploded in recent weeks. As of Monday, more than 500 corrections officials and inmates were infected and 16 prisoners had died. A plan to release certain nonviolent inmates has been slow to take effect after Gov. Phil Murphy announced it earlier this month.

Officials said the saliva test, unveiled by Rutgers University earlier this month, is already in use at multiple public screening sites, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s operation in Edison. Starting today, it will be also be offered at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick to screen all health care workers, whether or not they have symptoms; it is also being shared with other hospitals and health care networks, they said.

Murphy to discuss wider public use
Murphy said he anticipates this type of testing will also be useful for wider public application, a process he promised to flesh out on Monday. “I have noted many times having a robust and greatly expanded testing program in place is vital to our being able to reopen responsibly our state,” the governor said at his press briefing Thursday. “I said it on Monday and I still believe it on Thursday that we need to at least roughly double our testing capacity’s minimal benchmark” to allow for a safe return to public life, he added.

New Jersey is now able to process tests for between 7,000 and 9,000 people daily between the public and commercial laboratories, according to state health officials; this number is impacted by the availability of test kits, swabs and other materials needed to administer the test, trained staff and the personal protective equipment (PPE) — gowns, masks and other health care gear — needed to keep them safe. Overall, nearly 100,000 residents have been diagnosed with the virus, including more than 5,300 who have died.

Dr. Brian Strom, chancellor of Rutgers University Biomedical and Health Sciences — an umbrella entity that oversees the program that developed the test in conjunction with a private lab — said the new method has the capacity to screen 10,000 people a day and could be scaled to two or three times that volume fairly easily; they are currently seeking the staff and other resources needed to make this expansion possible. The process includes collecting a small amount of saliva in a special tube, which he said is far easier, and less invasive, than the deep nasal and throat swabs needed for the traditional test. It also appears to be more accurate, according to a new review by Yale University, he said.

Collecting the saliva sample also involves far fewer clinicians than the previous tests, Strom noted, a benefit that reduces the need for PPE by 90% and doesn’t depend on swabs, which have been in short supply. An easier collection process also speeds the testing protocol, allowing four times as many people to be screened than under the swab system, he noted.

Strom said these characteristics make the saliva test ideal for widespread public use. Rutgers is now working with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to design a program to screen at least 100,000 Brick City residents, he noted, and the university also plans to use the test to help assess the health of students and staff as it decides how to reopen classes.

Key for health care providers
The test will also be important for health care providers as they continue to respond to the current epidemic and plan for what’s next, Strom said. “As we begin to plan for the ability of the health care enterprise to begin to take care of non-COVID patients again we need to be sure we don’t give COVID to the patients we take care of,” he noted.

While Murphy has repeatedly cautioned against relaxing the strict social-distancing requirements instituted in late March, he has also hinted for weeks at the need to plan the state’s reopening, or re-entry, and coordinate the timeline with other states in the region. On Sunday, he appointed his chief of staff, George Helmy; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation President and CEO Dr. Richard Besser; and former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson to a multistate council that will oversee this process.

Murphy has also stressed that reopening the state requires not just a robust testing program, but also the capacity to track down and warn all the potential contacts for someone who tests positive, and the ability to quarantine that person — providing shelter, food, medicine, and other services — for up to 14 days. Persichilli said she is finalizing a testing strategy required for a larger, statewide reopening, which she said would be available next week.

MORRIS COUNTY — Helping healthcare and other workers during this time of crisis are six fashion design students, their professors, and several employees at County College of Morris (CCM) who are making face masks to protect those working on the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What helping people in this way means to me is making an impact,” says Emil Desena, of Randolph, one of the students working on the project. “Even just on a small, local level, it’s still important, and I’m glad that I’m able to use my passion for sewing and creating in a way that helps others.”

The project began after faculty learned that some students had started making masks during the college’s spring break in March and as hospitals and other organizations started asking for personal protective equipment (PPE) for their employees.

“As the design faculty migrated to online classes we lost our ability to deliver coursework using our traditional hands-on teaching methods,” says Professor Kelly Whalen, who oversees the design programs at CCM. “Faculty and students shared research and information about acceptable mask designs that would be useful to a variety of facilities and individuals. A few videos, recommended by healthcare organizations and others, were selected, providing clear instructions on how to construct the masks. Faculty then chose to adopt the project in their Introduction to Sewing, Design Concepts I & II, and Fashion Construction II classes.”

Whalen is serving as coordinator of the face mask project, while Professors Anita Collins and Wendy Carmona are working closely with the students and making masks themselves. Several CCM staff members also have become involved in the project, making it a college-wide effort. 

CCM Masks Being Sent to Health Facilities Throughout the Community

To date the students and professors have made nearly 200 masks, including several child-sized masks that will be donated to a pediatric healthcare facility in the next few days. Masks have already been delivered to a hematology and oncology facility affiliated with Morristown Medical Center, as well as to Compassionate Care healthcare workers in Sparta.  Others that have received, or will be receiving masks soon, are Saint Clare’s Hospitals in Denville and Dover, Overlook Hospital, and workers at UPS.

“It’s real-world problem solving, as we have had to organize distributing fabric, sourcing elastic, identifying places in need and then getting the masks to where they are needed while adhering to the social distancing and disinfectant protocols,” says Whalen.

Students are either using fabric they have on hand or received at a recent equipment distribution event the college held for students, faculty, and staff earlier this month. Whalen has been receiving the finished masks via home mailboxes and trunk exchanges. Regarding delivery of the masks, they are given to people CCM students, faculty, and staff know at the facilities that are looking for PPE for their workers.

“I have shared with the students that their knowledge of sewing and design is an essential skill that impacts the world,” notes Collins. “As fashion designers, they are able to create wearable items that not just make people look and feel beautiful, but also protect them and help to save lives.”

Other students making face masks are Jenna Lentz, of Fairfield; Taylor Moss, of West Orange; Louis Smith, of Basking Ridge; and Nieasia Wilkins, of Budd Lake. CCM employees helping with the project include Rosemary Grant, Brian Kafel, and Jeri LaBruna and also Adjunct Professor Gregory Somjen.

“I feel very happy and humbled to know that something I love doing can help others stay safe,” says Devyn Orozco, of Lake Hiawatha, another student making masks. “I believe that every little bit counts, and together we can help stop the spread of the virus.”

Want to learn more about fashion design? Register now for summer and fall at CCM click here.

BOONTON — The New Jersey Firemen’s Home is fighting an outbreak of COVID-19 that has sickened residents and staff members, and the facility is in need of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers.

“There is a critical need for medical masks, gloves, and gowns to protect the health of nurses and other workers as well as the retired firefighters who reside at the home,” said Senator Anthony M. Bucco. “The pandemic has significantly increased the demand for protective health gear, and there is a temporary shortage as manufacturers struggle to keep pace. The challenge right now is getting the existing stocks to the front lines where they are needed the most. The Firemen’s Home has been hard hit by the virus and is in urgent need of PPE.”

A volunteer firefighter with the Boonton Fire Department for almost 40 years, Bucco is teaming with Chief Nicholas Witczak, president of the Morris County Fire Chiefs Association, to encourage other fire departments to donate the needed equipment.

“The residents at the Home are our brother firefighters and it is critical now more than ever to help them for all they have given over the years,” said a letter, signed by Bucco and Witczak, to fire chiefs across Morris County.

The Firemen’s Home houses 62 retired firefighters, and at least 22 residents and 15 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

“We need to ensure the continued health and safety of the many heroes who spent their lives running toward dangerous situations responding to their neighbors’ emergencies,” Senator Bucco said. “To do so, we also must protect the essential workers who care for them. A few thin layers of protective equipment are necessary tools to prevent the further spread of coronavirus and maintain the care of our brother firefighters at the facility.”

MORRIS COUNTY — The financial impact of the coronavirus crisis is hitting tenants and landlords alike, but the three bills scheduled for votes in the state Legislature Monday do very little to help renters.

Assemblymen Brian Bergen and Christopher DePhillips are teaming to get renters real relief. They introduced legislation Thursday that would increase the percentage of rent considered property taxes to 30 percent so renters can benefit more from the state’s property tax deduction.

The Senate will vote Monday on allowing delayed payments for mortgages and rent (S2340) and restricting rent increases (S2341) during state of emergencies and suspending rent payments for some small businesses (A2363/A3921).

“Suspending or delaying rent payments would only delay the likely unaffordable payments and provide no relief to renters,” said DePhillips (R-Bergen). “It doesn’t help renters actually solve their problem of not being able to make ends meet now and especially in the future.”

Increasing the percentage of rent considered property taxes is intended to increase renters’ property tax deduction on income taxes and will reduce rent as a percentage of income. The federal Section 8 program defines renters as cost-burdened if rent exceeds 30 percent of income. Roughly, half of New Jersey renters are cost-burdened.

“Showing compassion means helping renters support themselves independently,” continued Bergen (R-Morris). “Delaying payments doesn’t account for a loss of income, it makes future payment twice or three times as large later on.”

Many renters are among the hundreds of thousands of workers who have lost their jobs in the service, hospitality, and retail industries after non-essential businesses were forced to shutter due to Murphy’s executive order mandating nearly all residents to stay home.

Roughly 35 percent of New Jersey residents rent their homes or apartment, according to Census data.

“The government doesn’t spend its own money. It spends taxpayer’s money,” said Bergen. “Providing these tax breaks recognizes that a state exists not with people, but because of the people. The government needs to allow people to support themselves.”

The assemblymen agree that it is tough for the state to provide a grace period for renters, but tax relief should be a consideration for the administration despite hiking taxes by over $3 billion, mostly on the working poor and middle class, since Democrats took the governor’s office while maintaining control of the legislature.

Murphy has set up multiple funds to try to facilitate relief. DePhillips says that approach spurns the ultimate problem: unaffordability is what slows recovery.

“In addition to funds and programs, we absolutely must do more,” said DePhillips. “We must also consider and implement tax breaks. In fact, tax breaks are more likely to be effective.”

The Assembly bill providing financial security for consumers will be considered Monday, though language hasn’t been released for lawmakers or the public to review. Bergen is adamant that government spending puts the cart before the horse despite the lack of transparency.

“It is simple to understand that allowing people to keep their money is more efficient than taking it, adding administrative cost, then giving it back to a limited and lesser extent,” concluded Bergen. “The most beneficial path seems clear. And I hope Democrats will consider the merit of our ideas in the future.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Mrs. Deborah (Debby) Bye Kean, the beloved wife of former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean, passed away on the evening of April 23, 2020. She would have turned 77 years of age on May 15. Mrs. Kean died peacefully at home.

Debby Kean was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1943, the only child of the late Elizabeth Griffenberg Bye and Robert Bye, a corporate executive. Mrs. Kean was a graduate of the Tower Hill School in Wilmington and of Bennett College in Millbrook, New York. She married Thomas H. Kean on June 3, 1967.

As the first lady, Mrs. Kean was noted for the renovation of the Governor’s mansion at Drumthwacket. When Kean was elected, New Jersey did not have a Governor’s mansion, as their previous site Morven was given to the New Jersey Historical Society to use as their headquarters. The new site, Drumthwacket, was filled with old and tired furniture. Debby knew that New Jersey’s Governor’s mansion should be second-to-none. Therefore Debby formed a foundation, encouraged donations, and soon bought wonderful antique furniture which is still admired today. She said New Jersey deserves as good of a Governor’s mansion as any other state, and she made that happen.

When she saw a wrong, she tried to right it. She found that many state employees were struggling because of a lack of daycare available for their children. She lobbied various people until she received the funds, and with those funds established a number of daycare centers for the children of state employees. The largest still bears her name, The Deborah B. Kean Childcare Center.

Mrs. Kean was known to family and friends for her warm disposition and quick wit. An avid reader, she was a lifetime enthusiast of the performing and visual arts, avocations she shared with her husband.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Kean is survived by her sons, NJ state Senator Thomas H. Kean, Jr., of Westfield, Reed Kean, of Chatham, a business executive, a daughter, Alexandra Kean Strong, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, an educator; and seven grandchildren.

Above all she loved her children and seven grandchildren and was deeply loved in return.

MORRIS COUNTY — Monmouth University Polling released a poll showing that New Jerseyans widely approve of Governor Phil Murphy’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and approve of his approach to the public health crisis. Across the state, 79 percent of New Jerseyans believe Murphy has done a good job in his handling of the pandemic. Murphy earns a 71 percent overall job approval. (Click here for complete article).

New Jersey residents also overwhelmingly back Gov. Murphy’s social distancing measures. Governor Murphy took early action on the coronavirus, forming a task force on February 3, long before the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in New Jersey. He implemented social distancing measures not long after that – banning large gatherings, limiting restaurants to take out, and closing places like gyms and nonessential stores. He also recently moved the state primary back to July in the interest of public health and protecting democracy.

“Governor Phil Murphy’s decisive action and clear communication throughout his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic have earned him well-deserved high marks from New Jerseyans,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Christina Amestoy. “Throughout this crisis, Gov. Murphy has shown New Jersey and the country what strong leadership looks like. It’s clear New Jerseyans support and value Murphy’s proactive, data-driven approach.”