Trenton NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio called on Governor Murphy to bring the New Jersey National Guard home from Washington, D.C. after reports that military personnel deployed in the capital to provide security for the inauguration of President Joe Biden had been relegated to sleeping on the floors of parking garages.
Trenton NJ, An extensive scientific study of close to 10 million people in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus first emerged, yielded encouraging news about the spread of the virus and undermined the case for preventative lockdowns. The study included scientific institutions in the U.K. and Australia, as well as China.
Paramus NJ, As the COVID outbreak began spreading, workers at veterans’ homes operated by the State were prohibited from wearing masks and risked punishment for protecting themselves and residents, according to an investigation by The Record newspaper.
Trenton NJ, New Jersey leads the world in COVID deaths and the Governor continues contemplating potentially more devastating mandates to contain the spread of the coronavirus amid growing confusion about the accuracy of the daily numbers released by the Department of Health and the reliability and interpretation of virus testing.
Trenton NJ, Concerned that aggressive testing for the COVID virus could be yielding ambiguous data, Senator Joe Pennacchio today called for the state to revise laboratory reporting on positive case numbers.
Crest Pointe Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Point Pleasant Admitting New COVID Positive Patients After 19 Residents Died
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Point Pleasant NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio continues to question the administration and State Department of Health’s policy toward admittance of new COVID patients at long-term nursing facilities.
The Senator’s office received an anonymous call from a resident’s loved one who heard that the center was still accepting new patients who are testing positive for COVID. Office staff confirmed with the nursing home’s admissions office that new patients testing positive for COVID are in fact being admitted.
Paramus NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio today welcomed word that the United States Department of Justice is actively investigating the COVID tragedies inside state-run veterans’ homes, and emphasized the need for the Senate to conduct its own inquiry.
Paramus NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today announced a leadership transition at the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA). Effective immediately, current DMAVA Deputy Adjutant General, Colonel Dr. Lisa J. Hou, D.O., will become Interim Adjutant General and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, replacing Major General Jemal J. Beale.
Paramus NJ, The coronavirus pandemic began hitting New Jersey and Massachusetts at close to the same time, and it wasn’t long before both states were seeing a disturbing loss of life in veterans’ homes and nursing homes.
A half year later, Massachusetts has completed an inquiry into the problems that led to tragedy, and a grand jury has indicted several top officials from a particularly hard-hit veterans facilities.
Trenton NJ, Senate Republicans launched an online petition to enlist the public’s support to convince legislative leaders to allow a special bipartisan committee with subpoena power to investigate the massive loss of life in New Jersey’s nursing homes, veterans homes, and long-term care (LTC) facilities due to COVID-19.
Paramus NJ, , Senator Joe Pennacchio called the four nursing home bills signed Wednesday by Governor Murphy “a legislative distraction that fails to address the root causes of failings that accounted for more than 7,000 deaths in nursing homes.”
“The Governor continues to whitewash the systemic problems that plague facilities,” said Pennacchio. “State government policies led to the deaths of one of every 10 residents in nursing homes, and Murphy refuses to defend those decisions.”
Paramus NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio today continued his efforts for more information on the policies and decisions that effected resident care at State-run long-term care facilities during the pandemic. In a follow-up letter (click here for PDF) to New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, the Senator again sought answers from the state’s top health official.
“We keep asking questions but we don’t get answers. The Administration seems to find it easier to ignore inquiries than to face the harsh reality of what happened, and could happen again, in our nursing homes,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “The victims and their families deserve answers. Seven thousand people died and nothing is being done. Why? Doesn’t anybody care?”
Trenton NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio today called in-person voting a fundamental precept of American freedom and criticized Governor Murphy’s decision to limit the November election to vote-by-mail.
“We’ve gone through the Civil War, two world wars, natural disasters and depressions and we’ve always managed to vote in person,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “More than anything else, this is political.
Trenton NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio today called on Governor Murphy to help make federal unemployment relief a reality for almost 700,000 out-of-work New Jersey residents.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday that would provide an extra $400 more than basic unemployment benefits, replacing the $600 federal contribution that expired on July 31.
Ridgewood NJ, Coronavirus numbers are on the increase across the United States, and so is the debate about hydroxychloroquine as a treatment and preventative. Senator Joe Pennacchio today said the politically fueled controversy is interfering with doctors who are scrambling to save lives.