Two New COVID Cases Among Staff At Menlo Park Veterans Home

EDISON, NJ — Two staff members from the Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home recently tested positive for COVID-19, the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) confirmed.

As a result, plans to resume indoor family visits have been suspended.

The veterans home was one the hardest-hit nursing homes in the state, with 62 deaths attributed to COVID-19 complications.

Kryn Westhoven, spokesperson for the DMVA said they are currently treating both cases as “false-positive results.”

“The staff members tested positive and then in the follow-up tested negative. So, we are treating the results as false-positive,” Westhoven told Patch.

However, all precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of residents. Both staff members have been in quarantine, said Westhoven

At the moment, only outdoor visits by families are being allowed.

“Every time there is a positive result, the clock sets back to zero. No indoor family visits, just outdoors,” said Westhoven.

According to data from the DMVA, 105 staff members and 181 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

New Jersey has three state-run veterans homes — in Paramus, Edison and Vineland. The homes in Paramus and Edison have come under scrutiny for their handling of COVID-19.

In August, Middlesex County Freeholder Director Ronald Rios called for the resignation of Elizabeth Schiff-Heedles, CEO of the Menlo Park Veterans Home.

This came after a legislative hearing where relatives, residents and veterans' advocates testified that mismanagement led to many COVID-19 related deaths.

"This testimony has made it clear to me that the leadership of this facility is not equipped to handle this pandemic, and that the CEO of Menlo Park Veteran's Home must resign," Rios said in a statement.

Read More Here: Menlo Park Veterans Home CEO Must Resign, Says Freeholder

According to a report by News12 New Jersey, sick and healthy residents were housed together at the nursing home and safety protocols not followed.

A NorthJersey.com investigation recently revealed additional 39 probable deaths from COVID at the Menlo Park nursing home.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s office is currently investigating the Menlo Park and Paramus homes for their handling of the pandemic.

The department said it was “focusing on facilities with high numbers of COVID-related deaths and below-average track records for health inspections, staffing, and quality of care."

The death toll promoted members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of New Jersey to call on the Attorney General and the prosecutor's offices to investigate the leadership at the Paramus and Edison facilities.

Meanwhile in September, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation targeted at bolstering safety, services and protection at long-term care facilities.

Read More Here: NJ Coronavirus Nursing Home Deaths Double As Murphy Pushes Fix

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