Long Valley School Nurse Joins Front Line Coronavirus Fight

LONG VALLEY, NJ - Long Valley Middle School may be closed until at least May 15 due to the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, outbreak, but school nurse Kim Pinto is still caring for patients.

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The Washington Township School District employee is now working at the Meadowlands Field Hospital, on the front line of the fighting the global pandemic.

The state has planned for four "pop-up" hospitals to open in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

"One is going to be at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, another is going to be at the Convention Center in Edison, the third one will be set up in Atlantic City's Convention Center," New Jersey State Police Colonel Patrick J. Callahan said when the facilities were announced. "The fourth one will be housed periodically at our Urban Search and Rescue facility with that location to be determined at a later time once we are able to analyze the best and most effective place to set that up."

These facilities, often erected after natural disasters where infrastructure is damaged, are constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Old Westbury and the Westchester Convention Center were identified as locations in New York State.

Murphy noted the speed that these facilities were being setup is unprecedented and that each facility is expected to have 250 beds each.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said they have identified what their needs are.

"We know what supplies need, we've have identified the number of staff, the number of RNs, number of pharmacists," she said noting that New Jersey will be divided into three regions: North, Central, South.

One of those RNs is Pinto.

"Kim, we are thinking of you with deep admiration and respect," the district posted to social media.

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