Vainieri Huttle Responds to Manatt Health Review of Long Term Care Facilities

          (TRENTON) – Following the release of a report from Manatt Health detailing recommendations for how New Jersey should implement reforms in long term care facilities, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D- Bergen), chair of the Assembly Aging and Senior Services Committee, released the following statement:

“With the first significant wave of the coronavirus behind us in New Jersey, it’s time we start asking ourselves some difficult questions. How did the virus spread so quickly in long term care facilities? Was there anything we could have done differently in our response? Can we prevent this from happening again in the future?

          “In all this uncertainty, one thing is clear: we need to drastically reform our long term care system. There needs to be greater oversight, transparency, and resiliency across the board. Above all, we need to make sure our facilities are prepared to protect the health and safety of residents and staff should we see another COVID-19 outbreak in the fall.

          “Long term care facilities are home to our most vulnerable residents. We owe it to them and their loved ones to learn from our missteps and implement meaningful changes.”

The Assembly Aging and Senior Services and Military and Veterans Affairs Committees will hold a joint hearing on COVID-19’s impact on long term care facilities in the coming weeks.