Infamous 'Makeshift Morgue' Nursing Home Could Be Taken Over By NJ

ANDOVER, NJ — Two years after 17 bodies were discovered in a nursing home's "makeshift morgue," New Jersey will seek control of the Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center. Despite state oversight, Gov. Phil Murphy claimed that those running the troubled facility "refuse to take responsibility for the people in their care."

The state will seek a court order to take over the nursing facility so it can appoint a receiver to control Woodland's operations, officials announced Tuesday.

In March, the New Jersey Department of Health appointed Atlantic Health System — a major North Jersey health care provider — to monitor Woodland after the state cited the nursing home for health and safety violations. Despite the oversight, state officials claim the facility's operators have failed to maintain adequate staffing or safe care.

"Our state agencies have maintained careful oversight and partnered with a reputable health system to provide guidance toward addressing the issues plaguing this facility," Murphy said. "Yet it has become crystal clear that the people running this nursing home refuse to take responsibility for the people in their care."

Nearly 30 percent of New Jersey's confirmed COVID deaths are linked to nursing homes and longterm-care facilities, with 9,108 deaths — including 139 staff members — since the pandemic began. Murphy's administration has received scrutiny for its handling of COVID in nursing homes, especially after the state agreed to pay $52.9 million to the families of 119 nursing-home residents whose early-pandemic deaths were attributed to the virus.

"New Jerseyans are once again paying for the mismanagement of the pandemic by the Murphy administration," said State Sen. Joe Pennacchio. "After 10,000 nursing and veterans home residents paid with their lives, millions of New Jersey taxpayers will be forced to pay with their wallets to settle claims of negligence and incompetence made against the administration."

Pennacchio (R-26) is among New Jersey lawmakers pushing for the State Senate to create a special committee to investigate the state's pandemic response to nursing homes. If enacted, the Senate president would appoint seven members to the committee, with no more than four in the same political party.

The Senate bill for creating the investigative committee has mostly garnered GOP support, with only one Democrat — Sen. Nia H. Gill (D-34) — among the bill's 15 sponsors. (Pennacchio and Gill are the bill's two primary sponsors.)

The bill hasn't made it out of the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, which received the legislation Feb. 10.

"I’m hopeful it is becoming more of a bipartisan effort to get to the truth," Pennacchio said in a statement. "Without an investigation, state residents will never learn the truth about what could have been done to prevent the so many tragedies in long-term care facilities."

But Woodland has arguably been New Jersey's most troubled nursing home since the pandemic began. The home came under scrutiny early in the pandemic, when 17 bodies were found crammed in a makeshift morgue.

Since the state appointed Atlantic Health System as monitor, the health care network has conducted onsite assessments of Woodland's business practices, operations and infrastructure. The state health department, Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and Medicaid Managed Care Organizations have also been onsite to monitor quality of care, conduct psychiatric assessments and offer counseling and support to residents regarding voluntary transfers to new facilities.

The state will hold meetings with staff, residents, families and resident right's advocates in the coming days to clearly communicate the situation, according to the Murphy administration. State officials said the appreciate Woodland's frontline staff, who "remain essential during this anticipated transition."

"Conditions at Woodland remain poor for the residents who live there and for the dedicated direct care staff who work there," said Laurie Brewer, the state's longterm-care ombudsman. "The people living at Woodland deserve capable, committed leadership from facility operators who value their autonomy, dignity and quality of life, yet current leadership has clearly failed to even marginally turn things around."