The County of Sussex is extremely concerned about the situation at the 543 licensed-bed Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center II. The County Division of Health reported to the State Department of Health of an outbreak/cluster of SARS-CoV-2 within the facility on March 29. County public health staff has been in continued contact with health professionals at the facility. The State COVID-19 Long Term Care team has been providing guidance to the County Division of Health and the subacute facility.

The total number of deaths as of April 15 at this facility was 57 total deaths of which 26 were COVID-19 related. Starting on April 1, the Sussex County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Management has made five deliveries of gloves, gowns, hand sanitizer, and masks. Sussex County is committed to providing the best guidance available from the State of New Jersey to this subacute facility and all long term care facilities within the County.

The New Jersey Department of Health regulates a wide range of health care settings for quality of care, such the Andover Subacute and Rehabilitation Center II. Long term care facilities are required to report communicable disease cases, including COVID-19, to their local health departments. Local health departments then work with the New Jersey Department of Health as the licensing agency and the local facility administrators to ensure that appropriate measures are being taken.

If a long term care facility is not providing the family of a loved one with information about whether the facility has a patient or patients with COVID-19, that family member should call the NJ Department of Health complaint hotline at 1-800-792-9770.

The 24-hour hotline handles consumer complaints and facility emergencies seven days a week. Patients, health care facility employees and other members of the public may file complaints about hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, home health agencies, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, comprehensive personal care homes, adult medical day care, pediatric medical day facilities, and many other licensed acute- and long-term care facilities.