New federal guidelines will now require more transparency from nursing homes, with so many recent deaths at facilities around the state in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

 

The new guidelines come as Attorney General Gurbir Grewal opened an investigation into a Sussex County nursing home, where 60 people died as a result of a virus outbreak. Police responded to a tip at the Andover Subacute & Rehab Center Two and found bodies stacked up inside.

Nursing homes across the U.S. are reporting high volumes of cases of the coronavirus. Some of the nation's most vulnerable, the elderly, are living under one roof, and many of them already have medical conditions.

 

Across the nation, and throughout New Jersey, loved ones have had strong concerns that nursing homes caring for their family members were being quiet about cases. But now facilities have to report to patients, their families and the federal government when they have cases of COVID-19.

"It's important that patients and their families have the information that they need, and they need to understand what is going on in the nursing home," says Seema Verma, with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid services. "This will support CDC's efforts to have surveillance around the country and to support efforts around contact tracing so that we can mitigate the spread of the virus in those communities that show spreads starting in the nursing homes."

 

Less than a month ago, 78 residents of St Joseph's Senior Home - Assisted Living and Nursing Center in Woodbridge were evacuated and taken to temporary homes in response to an outbreak. As of Friday, six of the residents are back at the center. Another group is expected to return.