Cherry Hill Nursing Home Emphasizes Success In Coronavirus Fight

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Fifty-three people who were previously diagnosed with the coronavirus at Cadbury Premier Health have recovered, the long-term care facility told local officials in letters that were sent earlier this week.

The letters were sent in response to news reports that stated Camden County officials had asked the state to help monitor Cadbury and other nursing homes in the county over their handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“More than a month has passed since we confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in our facility on April 6,” Premier Cadbury Executive Director Meredith B. Becker said in a letter that was sent to Camden County Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. and Cherry Hill Mayor Susan Shin Angulo. “In that time, we have worked tirelessly to protect our residents and keep our community informed. Since early April, our residents or their legal representatives have been kept informed through regular emailed updates.”

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According to the most recent numbers concerning cases and fatalities at nursing homes on the state’s website, Cadbury has seen 90 cases and 20 fatalities.

The state’s website doesn’t specify how many patients and staff members have been infected, but Cadbury stated that 68 cases were among residents and 22 were among staff members. Forty residents and 13 staff members who were infected have recovered, Becker said.

On May 8, county officials said they asked the state for help to monitor five nursing homes in the county, including Cadbury and Avista Healthcare in Cherry Hill, as well as Genesis Voorhees Center and Lions Gate in Voorhees and the United Methodist Communities at Collingswood. Read more here: State Monitors Requested For 2 Cherry Hill Nursing Homes

“We mourn the terrible loss of life and share that pain with grieving families, and we are thankful that — with the efforts of our staff and medical professionals — our care helped so many residents recover,” Becker said. “This accomplishment would not have been possible without our almost 300 staffers, who risked their lives to care for our residents. We are grateful to our staff, who are genuine health care heroes.”

Becker also said she learned that the facility would be subjected to state testing through media reports, and not from the officials making the request.

“Along with our staff, our leadership team has been working day and night through this crisis to ensure we have proper staffing and adequate protective supplies,” Becker said. “That is why it is disappointing and surprising to us that we were not contacted or included in your discussions prior to your calling for additional state oversight of our facility. We welcome the opportunity to engage in a discussion regarding your comments to the media and related topics as soon as possible. We welcome you and your colleagues to visit our facility to learn first-hand about our care, our safety protocols and why we are so proud of the services we provide the community. On behalf of all of us at Premier Cadbury, I look forward to opening a constructive dialogue with you in the coming days.”

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know