Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday announced eagerly awaited instructions that will enable people in New Jersey’s long-term care facilities to regain visitation privileges, a year after the coronavirus hit nursing homes hard, ultimately killing one in seven residents.
The state’s nearly 700 nursing homes, assisted living centers and other facilities “should be allowing for direct, in-person visits for residents regardless of vaccination status” in counties where the COVID-19 Activity Level Index — or CALI scores — are low or moderate, according to the the governor and state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.
But even if the score is high, vaccinated residents are still entitled to indoor visits, according to the announcement made at Murphy’s latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton.
And if 70% of people in a facility are vaccinated, everyone living there — even unvaccinated residents — may have visitors, regardless of the county’s CALI score, according to the health department’s guidance. There are 367 facilities that meet that criteria, the department’s announcement said.
The directive comes nearly two weeks after the President Joe Biden’s aministration announced states must allow visits to resume. The Murphy administration has been silent since the March 10 announcement was made by the U.S. Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services — until Monday.
Families and advocacy organizations like the AARP have pleaded with state and federal regulators to consider the impact the prolonged isolation and separation on residents and relax the rules that for the most part relegated visits to outdoors, if at all.
New Jersey Long-Term Care Ombudsman Laurie Brewer said the message to long-term care operators is clear: visits with family members must resume right away.
“Families and caregivers need to be able to visit any day of the week, including evenings and weekends, and they need to be able to visit frequently and for longer periods of time, as long as all safety protocols are being followed,” Brewer said.
“We have found that some long-term care facilities make visits ridiculously short in duration, some as short at 15 to 30 minutes, or only schedule them during traditional business hours, no weekend or evening visits allowed,” Brewer added. “This is not acceptable and does not meet the spirit or intent of this revised guidance, which is to address and combat the adverse effects of social isolation and loneliness.”
Murphy said if families encounter “unwarranted roadblocks” to visits, they should contact the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 877-582-6995 or online at nj.gov/ooie.
“As we have noted several times over the past weeks, our long-term care facilities should be working with families to allow for in-person visitations with their loved ones,” Murphy said. “We know that some residents are suffering from the impact of social isolation and being apart from their families for so long.”
Vaccination rates among nursing home residents are significant — 90% of assisted living residents and 72% of nursing home residents, according to the commissioner’s past statements. At the three, state-run veterans’ homes, more than 90% of residents have received their shots, Murphy said Monday.
“Fully vaccinated residents can choose to have close contact — including touching and hugs — with a visitor as long as the resident and visitor are wearing tight well-fitting face masks,” Persichilli said.
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New Jersey, with federal direction, has allowed some “compassionate care” visits to take place for months if residents are mentally suffering from the separation, and “essential visits” if residents need help with eating, dressing and other daily necessary activities. But families say some long-term care operators have not followed the rules.
Murphy said if families encounter “unwarranted roadblocks” to visits, they should contact the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 877-582-6995 or online at nj.gov/ooie.
“The overriding principle we are working under is that we recognize that families need to be able to be together, especially when so many have been kept apart for so long. With Passover and Easter coming up, we know, especially, that this is a time of year when families gather,” Murphy said.
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Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.
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