Camden County Delivers Supplies To Nursing Homes Amid Pandemic

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — The Camden County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) will deliver about 25,000 pieces of assorted personal protective equipment (PPE) from its inventory to 18 long-term care facilities in the county amid the outbreak of new coronavirus, officials announced on Tuesday.

Additionally, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-1) announced that South Jersey health care facilities will receive over $2,500,000 in federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act — a $2 trillion federal relief package passed by Congress in late March in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The county's deliveries will be made to local OEMs who will then distribute directly to each facility. Supplies were donated by the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. Each facility has different needs based on the resources already in their possession and will receive supplies based on individual circumstances.

Deliveries made on Tuesday were set to include protective gowns, N-95 masks, surgical masks, protective gloves, face shields, and hand sanitizer.

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On Monday, the New Jersey Department of Health released numbers that showed 51 residents of long-term care facilities in the county have died as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That's 16 percent of the total number of county residents who have contracted the virus.

Comparatively, 4 percent of the total number of county residents who have contracted the virus have died as a result of the coronavirus, but 63 percent of those cases are associated with long-term care facilities. Read more here: Camden County Officials ‘Horrified’ By Nursing Home Deaths

“Long-term care facilities have been hit extremely hard by the spread of coronavirus, and that trend has shown little sign of dissipating without serious intervention,” Camden County Freeholder Jon Young said. “Last week the Camden County Health Department took over random inspections of our 56 long-term care facilities from the state of New Jersey in order to audit and inspect operations that have at least 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19. One of the first things to become clear upon our initial audits was a severe shortage of PPE. In addition to today’s deliveries, we are continuing to identify actions the county can take to prevent further loss of life in these institutions.”

The CARES Act allocated approximately $200 billion for hospitals, health systems and health research, including expanding funding for the personal protective equipment desperately needed by our health care workers, such as ventilators, n95 masks, gowns, gloves, etc.

Through the CARES Act, South Jersey health care facilities will receive:

• $1,309,625 to CAMcare Health Corporation, which has provided health care to Camden and Gloucester counties since 1978.
• $638,360 to Osborn Family Health Center, which provides patients with access to primary health care.
• $588,995 to Project H.O.P.E., which specializes in the health and well-being of homeless residents in Camden.

“This grant will enable us to expand our COVID - 19 testing, to grow our Telehealth services to reach more patients and to continue our mission of serving the people of our community by improving their healthcare. CAMcare is here for Camden and beyond, insured or otherwise," CAMcare President/CEO Mark Roberts said.

“Project H.O.P.E. is sincerely grateful to receive CARES Act funding to continue to be on the frontlines preventing, preparing for, and responding to the COVID-19 Emergency,” Project H.O.P.E CEO Patricia DeShields said. “Funding for telehealth visits, medical supplies, and maintaining operations is especially paramount in providing care to Camden City Region’s most vulnerable populations. This legislation and new funding will enable Project H.O.P.E. to continue the work we’re doing on the ground against the coronavirus, delivering essential primary care services, testing and screening patients, and helping to reduce the burdens on Camden City emergency rooms and hospitals.”

Camden County OEM has been working closely with its state government counterpart to secure PPE for these facilities, officials said. Tuesday’s deliveries and others which have already occurred will help to strengthen the ability of these facilities to respond to the coronavirus by ensuring the safety of staff and personnel while they work with patients to stop further spread of coronavirus in these dense communities, officials said.

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