NJ Woman Fights Nursing Home To Save Father From COVID-19

HOPE, NJ - Julie Ball's 84-year-old father was dehydrated, had pneumonia and was in kidney failure when he arrived at Hackettstown Hospital from Forest Manor Health Care Center. He also had COVID-19, and Ball was told nothing by the nursing home.

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After repeated attempts to get answers about her father's health from the facility, she had to call the Warren County Department of Health and eventually fight to have her father taken to the hospital, where he is fighting for his life in the ICU, Ball said.

According to Ball, she spoke with her father every day until he was put into isolation without her knowledge. Ball said she tried to reach her father, and she tried to reach the nurses and then finally called the health department. That was when the manager of the facility finally returned her call.

He berated her for calling the health department, but Ball didn't care, the "wild goose chase" was over.

"I finally found he and his roommate at 10 p.m. They were both very upset they had no idea what was going on and why they were moved so abruptly I had a feeling it was because of COVID, I asked them if they had COVID, and they both said no," Ball told Patch. "My father was happy to hear my voice. He said 'thank God, thank God you found us, I have been asking them to get me the paper with your phone number on it, and they wouldn't, I didn't think you would ever find us again.'"

For their part, Forest Manor told Patch they cannot comment on individual resident concerns or health status related to HIPPA.

"Ensuring our residents are cared for in a safe and healthy environment is our top priority. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) has set forth a variety of steps that Forest Manor had previously implemented to protect our residents. These recommendations include, among other things, strict infection control and prevention initiatives, isolating and cohorting residents, stringent handwashing procedures, restricting visitation and screening all individuals - including staff - that are permitted to enter our center. Additionally, all health care workers adhere to the guidance issued by the CDC and the DOH for transmission-based precautions in caring for our residents.," they said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to all our residents and their loved ones. We extend our sincerest wishes for a full recovery to all residents that have been impacted by this horrific pandemic."

But Ball did find them, and it was a fortuitous because despite having been told he did not have COVID-19, that turned out not to be the case. Ball's father and his roommate, best friends for many years, were in quarantine since April 10. But Ball said alarm bells went off in her head when she couldn't reach her Dad for two days. Eventually, she connected with his roommate.

"His roommate told me he hadn't left my father's side all day he said my father was so pale and had been throwing up all day and the nurses didn't care and that he is afraid he is dying," Ball said. "He said if I didn't get him to the ER that night he probably would die."

This case is one of the many that prompted Gov. Phil Murphy has called in the National Guard to assist. Murphy said the nursing home and long-term care industry have been "slow to adapt" as 22,602 coronavirus cases have been identified and 4,151 have died – about half of the state's overall total.

Murphy said his administration has been leading reviews of long-term care facilities and enforcing measures to protect residents and staff.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said her department has already curtailed visitation, enforced the notification of outbreaks and required people to wear masks. Now they've also:
Worked with the National Guard to provide "some efforts" in assisting the facilities, although they weren't specified.

• Conducted an inspection of 60 facilities in April to check for the availability of personal protective equipment, the quality of infection control and staffing levels, among other criteria.
• Directed at least four sites to develop "directed plans of correction" after the inspections, and several facilities have to bring in consultants to assist. She didn't identify the facilities.
• A big part of the nursing home and long-term care problem is that, health officials have acknowledged, the numbers are probably higher – maybe even way higher – than reported.

Ball's persistence paid off. She got a nurse on the line and got them to agree to send her father to the hospital. Right in the nick of time.

"He was severely dehydrated and in kidney failure, and was as white as a sheet, his hemoglobin was below five and should be 18," Ball said. "He had internal bleeding someplace, he was also malnourished. I was told that his labs where horrendous and all over the place and it wasn't from just a couple of days, that my father was like this for a few weeks most likely."

She was also informed he was positive for COVID-19.

"This is after weeks of not being able to get a nurse on the phone or doctor to tell me what was going on, I was never told about his treatment for Covid," Ball said. "And I am his power of attorney."

History Of Concerns

Forest Manor Health Care Center has reported 94 COVID-19 infections among patients resulting in 13 deaths since the pandemic began.

Over the past three years the overall rating for Forest Manor Health Care Center is one star, placing it "much below average." The health inspection during that time brought up five citations and also saw the facility one star. The health inspection star rating is based on each active provider's current health inspection survey and the two prior surveys, as well as findings from the most recent three years of complaints information and inspection revisits, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services records.

Forest Manor logged nine health citations, above the New Jersey average of 3.6 and the country average of 8.2.

Forest Manor's staffing rating was two stars, below average and below the state and national average. The facility was also level a federal fine of $10,078 in September 2018 for a violation, the report said.

The state has a dashboard set up that tracks the number of cases statewide, including how many cases and fatalities involve long-term care facilities. In Warren County there are 450 cases spread among the seven impacted facilities. There have been 83 deaths at these facilities as reported by the New Jersey Department of Health this week.

Returning To Forest Hill

Ball said that her father is steadily improving as he responds to treatment, including handling a bout with pneumonia and may be discharged as early as next. Right back to Forest Manor.

"Many have ask why back to the place that put him in quarantine for a month with closed door," Ball said. "Well his best friend is his roommate there and I couldn't separate them."

Ball still has some hard feelings towards the facility, and says no one has even called to check on him since he's been hospitalized. But she also acknowledged there aren't many options available for people like her.

"Is any long term care facility safe these days?" she said.

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