PARSIPPANY — Scholl’s Wellness Company is donating $1.3 million in Dr. Scholl’s® insoles to support health care workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. The donation includes 100,000 pairs of Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Work insoles, which are clinically proven to reduce muscle fatigue and also absorb shock. The first donation was delivered today to a medical center in New Jersey with many more to come in the next few days.
Scholl’s Wellness Company is located at 119 Cherry Hill Road, Suite 200.
“Supporting the healthcare industry has been part of Dr. Scholl’s DNA since our founding in 1904 by Dr. William Mathias Scholl,” said Craig Stevenson, Scholl’s Wellness Company CEO. “We wanted to do what we could for all the caregivers who are working tirelessly on the front lines, and it is our sincerest hope that this gesture shows our appreciation for those who are there for us when we need them the most.”
Dr. Scholl’s donation will go to hospitals across the country, especially those in coronavirus hot spots. Hospitals can submit requests to receive insoles for their medical workers by emailing coronavirus.outreach@drscholls.com. Please include the following information:
Hospital Name
Contact Name, Phone Number, Email Address
Shipping Address
Delivery Instructions
# of female and # of male insoles requested
ABOUT SCHOLL’S WELLNESS COMPANY
The Dr. Scholl’s brand has been synonymous with foot care for more than a century. Founded by William Mathias Scholl, M.D. with a drive to scientifically support the feet to improve mobility, Dr. Scholl’s products are clinically engineered and proven to provide comfort, reduce fatigue, relieve and prevent lower body pain. Today, Scholl’s Wellness Company continues to advance the science of movement and foot care with a mission to help people be more active and move comfortably every day of their lives. Click here for more details.
EAST HANOVER — At a recent Board of Education Superintendent meeting, East Hanover Police Chief Chris Cannizzo and Superintendent of Schools and Board members keep their distance by standing eight feet apart. #Outside Social Distancing
East Hanover Police Chief Chris Cannizzo staying eight feet apart during a recent Board of Education Department Head meeting
MORRIS COUNTY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) will hold a second COVID-19 telephone town hall focused on small business and unemployment assistance on Tuesday, April 7. Representative Sherrill will be joined by public officials who will help answer questions from residents and she will give an update on what she has been doing to support COVID-19 response efforts in New Jersey.
“Every day, I am on the phone with our small businesses, local officials, and residents in North Jersey, and I know the incredible strain they face as we fight the COVID-19 crisis,” said Representative Sherrill. “Our town hall this week will focus on the resources available to small businesses and workers at the federal and state level. We had an overwhelming response to our last telephone town hall, and I hope residents join us again on Tuesday.”
Residents are invited to register for the telephone town hall by clicking here.
WHAT: Telephone Town Hall on Small Business and Unemployment Assistance
WHO: Representative Mikie Sherrill
WHEN: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 4:50 p.m. EST
WHERE: Residents can register for the Telephone Town Hall by clicking here.
MORRIS COUNTY — The Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate program aims to empower students and community members to improve school climate. As the ADL states, “With public displays of hate on the rise, it is more important than ever for schools to commit to programs that clearly define expectations in behavior for all members of the community. Whether you are a student,educator, or family member, you have a role to play in combating bias and bullying as a means to stop the escalation of hate.”
Both Hanover Park High School and Whippany Park High School have once again been named Gold Star No Place for Hate schools for 2019-2020. Gold Star status is earned by completing four or more school-wide activities of unity and inclusion, starting with the signing of the Resolution of Respect, which states:
I will seek to gain understanding of those who are different from myself, speak out
against prejudice and discrimination, support those who are targets of hate, respect
people and help foster a prejudice-free school, believe that one person can make a
difference—no person can be an “innocent” bystander when it comes to opposing hate,
and recognize that respecting individual dignity and promoting intergroup harmony are
the responsibilities of all students.
Supervised by E.R.A.S.E. club advisors Sue Apicella at Hanover Park and Sibila Dubac at
Whippany Park, each school held anti-bias and bullying prevention activities, including a
Kindness Rocks project in September where incoming freshmen painted messages of kindness and inspiration on river stones. These rocks were scattered around each campus and provide an uplifting affirmation that we are not alone.
In October, both schools sponsored Mix It Up at Lunch; an activity in which students were encouraged to sit with different social groups during their lunch periods. This intermingling advocated student empathy and unity. In addition, both schools participated in the Week of Respect, in which all teachers presented lessons that related to the topics of anti-bullying and acceptance. Hanover Park’s E.R.A.S.E. club also visited the students at Stonybrook Elementary School in Rockaway and provided them with tools and strategies to become upstanders within their school and community.
Despite the sudden closure of the school in March due to the coronavirus, each school’s
E.R.A.S.E. club has committed to continue the No Place for Hate initiative and hold virtual Day of Silence and #USvsHate activities.
This year’s No Place for Hate designations mark the sixth time each school has been honored, and the fifth time both Hanover Park and Whippany Park have received Gold Star designations.
To commemorate these achievements, banners will be displayed in both schools. At Hanover Park Regional High School District our actions speak loudly and match our words; we truly demonstrate that we are a No Place for Hate.
MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy has exempted blood drives from his Executive Order that prohibits public gatherings to allow for blood donations to meet the medical needs of New Jersey residents during the COVID-19 crisis.
Blood drives may to operate but only using appropriate mitigation efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That would include incorporating social distancing where practicable, collecting blood only from individuals who are healthy and feeling well, conducting temperature screens of both staff and donors before entering a blood drive
It also would require the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), providing hand sanitizer to donors, and frequently sanitizing equipment and work spaces
The American Red Cross, meanwhile, has put out a call for blood donations to ensure an available blood supply for hospital patients. It is strongly urging eligible donors to schedule their next appointment to donate blood at a blood drive scheduled near where you live or work.
The Red Cross says donating blood is a safe process and asks healthy residents to donate soon.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Hanover Township Police Officer Stephen Manney charged Ms. Erin Allred, 30, Morristown, with theft, on Wednesday, March 18.
Officer Manney was called to the Walmart in Cedar Knolls for a report of an iPad being stolen from an employee of the store.
The employee states he was stocking shelves and was using his iPad to take inventory and left the iPad on a shelf while checking other shelves for merchandise. When he walked back to where he left his iPad it was no longer there.
A check of the surveillance video showed a black female taking the iPad from the shelf and placing it in her backpack and then leaving the store. With the help of the surveillance video, the license plate was observed which was used to identify Ms. Allred.
Officer Manney was able to locate Ms. Allred the next day driving the vehicle she left the Walmart in. She was stopped and after a brief investigation, she turned over the iPad to Officer Manney.
She was charged with theft of moveable property and was issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while suspended and parking in a handicap spot without a placard. She was advised of her court date and was released.
Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Hanover Township Police Officer Erik Woodruff arrested Ms. Brittany Cooper, 30, Newark, for simple assault, on Wednesday, April 1.
Officer Woodruff was called to the Walmart for an assault that took place inside the store.
Upon arrival, Officer Woodruff spoke with the victim who stated that Ms. Cooper slapped her cell phone out of her hand and struck her in the face causing minor injuries.
Apparently while both parties were waiting in line to check out, words were exchanged causing the victim to start recording the incident with her cell phone.
Ms. Cooper did not like this and hit the phone from her hand. Ms. Cooper was charged with simple assault and was released pending her court date.
Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) released the following statement on her family testing positive for COVID-19:
“This week, my husband was tested and diagnosed with COVID-19. After developing symptoms myself, and speaking to my doctor, I have scheduled a test.
“My work on behalf of our district, the fight to protect and provide our doctors, nurses, and first responders with critical personal protective equipment, and my commitment to deliver relief for our workers and small businesses remains my top priority.
“I cannot stress enough how important it is that we all follow the recommendations of the CDC and the ‘stay at home’ order that is in place. The road ahead for New Jersey is going to be a hard one, so now more than ever, we must take care of each other and work together so that we can end this crisis.”
MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County has risen to 1257 and increase of 164 cases from yesterday.
The figures reflect open COVID-19 positive cases as of the date and time indicated, not cases which have been closed, some cases which may be pending, or have yet to be entered into the system.
The County of Morris, in partnership with Atlantic Health, is offering drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the County College of Morris, Dover Chester Road, Randolph, NJ 07869, in parking lot 1. Testing is scheduled beginning 9:00 a.m. and is for Morris County residents only. There is no fee for the test.
To sign up for an appointment online click here for details.
Thursday, April 2, 2020 - Preparations are underway in the new Field Medical Station at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
Thursday, April 2, 2020 – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy tours the new Field Medical Station at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
by Lilo H. Stainton, NJ Spotlight This story was written and produced by NJ Spotlight. It is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. To read more, visit njspotlight.com
After weeks of planning and preparations, New Jersey is now ready to activate its hospital-capacity contingency plans, as facilities in the northern counties are becoming increasingly overwhelmed by a surge of patients with COVID-19.
State officials are preparing to shift patients with more limited clinical needs from existing hospitals to the new “field medical station” set up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Meadowlands in order to make room for individuals who need critical care; the field station, in Secaucus, is expected to start accepting patients Monday. Newark’s University Hospital, the region’s Level 1 trauma center, will oversee the field station and transport the patients by ambulance or air, if needed.
“As we see the number of cases increasing across the state and the pressure on our hospital systems building, we are preparing to release that valve by standing up alternative care sites,” New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Thursday during the state’s daily briefing on the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 25,600 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, the resulting disease, and 537 have died.
Thursday, April 2, 2020 – Preparations are underway in the new Field Medical Station at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. (Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
When hospitals run out of room
The DOH has used statistical models to predict when the worst of the outbreak would hit hospitals, and Persichilli said Wednesday that, as expected, the “surge is beginning to occur in the northern part of the state.” She said the department helped several facilities secure extra ventilators before they ran out and, at points in recent days, roughly a dozen hospitals in northern counties became too full to accept new emergency patients, forcing them to “divert” ambulance traffic to other hospitals for anywhere from two to 12 hours.
“Increasing critical-care capacity is the key to managing the surge,” Persichilli said. In addition to the Secaucus field hospital, the USACE is working with the state police and others to establish additional operations in Edison and Atlantic City in the coming weeks. Altogether, this effort is expected to add nearly 1,000 hospital beds for patients who don’t need critical care.
“The hospitals are packed. We still have flu season, we still have everyone else that goes to a hospital with a medical or an emergency surgical problem,” Persichilli explained Wednesday. “That doesn’t go away during a crisis.”
New Jersey’s hospitals provide nearly 19,000 beds, plus an additional 2,000 critical-care spots. But even with the strict social distancing now in place, the models suggest the state could need an additional 2,000 critical-care beds to care for the crush of patients who are likely to suffer severe respiratory symptoms from the novel coronavirus, which is now spreading rapidly through the community. Reported COVID-19 cases jumped 15% between Wednesday and Thursday and deaths climbed by one-third, although officials said some of the fatalities may have occurred earlier in the week.
To meet the critical-care need, the state is also looking to create another 1,000 beds by reopening recently closed health care facilities, including the former Woodbury Hospital previously operated by Inspira Health in Gloucester County. St. Joseph’s Health in Paterson has pledged to reopen the former Barnert Hospital adjacent to its main hospital, which would produce another 154 beds, according to reports. State officials are also looking to repurpose unused parts of operating hospitals, hotels and other options, but declined to offer specifics Thursday, calling the effort a work in progress.
When ready, these reopened facilities will also accept lower-acuity patients “decanted” from existing hospitals, creating room for new critical-care patients. Hospital operators have been asked to double their critical-care capacity, something many have already done by rearranging facilities or reopening closed wings.
“We’ve gone through looking at every square inch of every facility that we have where we can safely put patients,” Barry Ostrowsky, president and CEO of the massive RWJBarnabas Health system, with 11 hospitals in the northern and central parts of the state, told NJ Spotlight. “When you look at the model, the need for facility-based beds and equipment will certainly outpace that which is currently available in our state,” he said.
An ‘hour-to-hour’ battle
The coronavirus pandemic is putting “unprecedented pressure on the health-care delivery system,” Ostrowsky said, and he anticipates the northern counties will “get to its crescendo and then it will hit that probably over the next two weeks. So the strain on our health care facilities, the people who staff them, the equipment and resources is literally an hour to hour, day to day, constant battle,” he said.
“We’ve been going at this seven days a week for weeks and we haven’t hit the worst of it. And that’s a scary thing,” Ostrowsky said.
While University Hospital is slated to manage the Secaucus field site, Ostrowsky said RWJBarnabas will oversee the Edison operation, which state officials said is expected to have 500 beds. The Barnabas system also includes Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, which serves as Central Jersey’s Level 1 trauma center. State officials have not said who will run the Atlantic City operation, but Cooper University Health Care, based in Camden, is the South Jersey Level 1 trauma center.
“We are honored to do it and we are uniquely qualified to it,” University Hospital president and CEO Dr. Shereef Elnahal, the former state health commissioner, told NJ Spotlight; the hospital already coordinates emergency response for Newark and its international airport and runs the busiest trauma center in the state.
Elnahal said he spoke Thursday with leaders of the other northern hospitals to coordinate plans to decant patients or shuttle ventilators and PPE to where they are needed most. The state’s emergency management team is preparing to give UH access to a regional dashboard that provides real-time information on bed capacity and equipment at northern hospitals, a system Elnahal expects will be operational early next week.
The Secaucus field hospital will start slowly and accept more patients as staff and equipment come into place, officials note. Elnahal said the Veterans Administration facility in East Orange has also agreed to take civilian patients — a first for the military site — and East Orange General Hospital, which has struggled to fill its beds, is also available to care for lower-acuity patients.
“All of that depends on the availability of equipment, supplies and staff,” he said. “There’s going to be a ramp-up (at the field hospitals), not a switch that flips on.”
Persichilli announced Wednesday that national insurance giant UnitedHealthcare has volunteered two respected clinicians to lead the alternative-capacity efforts statewide: Kathleen Stillo, president of clinical redesign, and Dr. Jeff Brenner, founder of the Camden Healthcare Coalition and a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” recipient. State officials said they are on loan for three months.
Tracking available beds
To help coordinate the movement of patients within a region, the state is using data collected by the New Jersey Hospital Association through a portal that enables all of the state’s 71 acute care facilities to submit daily reports on their bed capacity, the size of the workforce and the availability of critical equipment, like ventilators and protective gowns and masks. Reporting began Monday and state officials said they plan to make the information public next week.
While Persichilli and Gov. Phil Murphy continue to express confidence in the state’s hospital-bed capacity — assuming the field sites and reopened facilities come online as planned — they are concerned about staff levels, ventilators and the personal protective equipment, or PPE, needed to keep health care workers safe when treating contagious patients.
The state has pushed the federal government to provide supplies from a national stockpile and is also collecting donations through its website, www.covid19.nj.gov; these items will be distributed to hospitals as needed. Persichilli’s team is also working to match 5,200 volunteers — more than a third of them licensed health care clinicians — with field hospitals or other alternative medical facilities.
While these emergency facilities are intended for lower-acuity patients, Persichilli said they will largely be able to function as full acute-care facilities, with X-ray capacity, lab services, a pharmacy and a full complement of staff, including behavioral health and social workers. The sites are not focused on COVID-19 patients, but she said they would be fully equipped to safely handle patients who develop the disease.
“We will have a full team there to meet not just the medical needs, but also the mental health needs and also the discharge-planning needs of the individuals who will be there as patients,” Persichilli said. The Meadowlands site “will be a valuable resource for our northern hospitals (that) are already experiencing an increased demand for care,” she added.
