MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey State Senator Joe Pennacchio once again questioned how the State is dictating how doctors may treat their patients.

“Instead of allowing doctors to prophylactically or immediately treat patients, New Jersey is requiring them to have a full-blown case of coronavirus before action can be taken,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “By that time, in many cases, it is too late.”

The senator has been a vocal advocate for the preventative and therapeutic use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to calm the COVID-19 outbreak.  Joining him was almost 70 doctors and a European research doctor.

Pennacchio compared the early utilization of HCQ for the coronavirus to the original use of the drug given to patients prophylactically before travel to malaria-infested areas of malaria.

“It would have made no sense to withhold the treatment until people contracted malaria, and it’s insane to wait for people to show signs of the coronavirus while this pandemic is taking lives and destroying our economy,” Pennacchio said.

Today, in a letter to Pennacchio, New Jersey physician Dr. Theresa Thomas echoed the senator’s position.

Other doctors also weighed in with their support:
Vinod Sanchetti, MD – Internal Medicine
Varinder Singh, MD – Cardiology/Internal Medicine
Mannish Saini, MD – Internal Medicine
Rimmi Sobti, MD – Internal Medicine
Karam Dalal, MD Internal Medicine
Prabhat Sinha, MD Internal Medicine
Puneet Sahgal, MD Internal Medicine
Sakshi Pawa, MD Internal Medicine
Dilip Desai, MD Internal Medicine
Vinod Ghetiya, MD Internal Medicine
Sarvat Takla, MD Internal Medicine
Monnet Tresvalace, MD Internal Medicine
Parhar Avtar, MD pulmonologist
Bikramjeet Singh,MD Nephrologist
Sanjay Kumar, MD Internal Medicine
Mukesh Shah, MD Internal Medicine
Mathew Kandathil, MD Gastroenterology, Internal Medicine
Rimmi Sobti, MD Internal Medicine
Mannish Saini, MD Internal Medicine
Varinder Singh, MD Cardiology/Internal Medicine
Vinod Sanchetti, MD. Internal Medicine

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Washington Township Police Chief Jeffrey Almer announce that Keith O’Connor, 49, Washington Township, has been charged in connection with a shots fired incident that occurred on Rock Road in Washington Township on Monday, March 30.

On March 30, at approximately 7:10 p.m., officers of the Washington Township Police Department responded to a residence located on Rock Road in Washington Township to perform a welfare check into a report of a suicidal male. It is alleged that while the officers were on scene, O’Connor fired a shotgun at or in their direction. The subsequent investigation revealed additional weapons, including an assault firearm and large capacity ammunition magazines, as well as a suspected controlled dangerous substance, were found within O’Connor’s residence.

No shots were fired by the Washington Township Police Department officers.

As a result of the investigation into this incident, O’Connor has been charged with Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, a crime of the second degree; Aggravated Assault, a crime of the third degree; Unlawful Possession of a Weapon, a crime of the second degree; Possession of a Prohibited Weapon, a crime of the fourth degree; and Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance, a crime of the third degree.  He remains in custody and is pending a first appearance in court.

Members of the Washington Township Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office -Crime Scene Investigations, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit all took part in this investigation.

If anyone has any information related to this investigation, they are encouraged to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6200, or the Washington Township Police Department at (908) 876-8300.

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.

MORRIS COUNTY — Ethan Chen, second grader student in Hilldale Elementary School, Montville, drew a picture of his whole class. He wanted to share with all the kids and teachers in our state, to cheer up!

Ethan said “My dad and mom told me lots of news about COVID-19 in our state and I feel very sad. I can’t go to school for two weeks and I miss my lovely Miss Monks (she is my class teacher) and my friends so much! I really hope NO ONE get sick in my class and I really hope we can meet again soon.”

MORRIS COUNTY — During this unprecedented health care crisis, law enforcement officer members of the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey are on the front lines of danger on the street, behind bars, guarding transportation systems and in many other locations. The amazing heroes in this battle are the men and women working as nurses, doctors and medical personnel in hospitals.

The Italian American Police Society of New Jersey is working to support these brave caretakers. They are providing cooked hot meals for hospital personnel to give them strength and comfort. This endeavor also helps to support in a small way local businesses that are struggling to survive.

They invite you to visit click here to make a financial donation. All of these donations will be used to directly feed hospital personnel in areas needed in New Jersey. As always, they are proud to serve and protect New Jersey in various ways like this.

They have always appreciated the generosity of our friends and supporters and thank you in advance for your help.

They will all get through these challenging times. Please stay safe and use social distancing to end this sooner than later.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County is putting out an emergency call for Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and medical professionals who are available during this COVID-19 health crisis to sign up for paid openings at healthcare facilities across Morris County that are short of qualified medical personnel and looking to hire people immediately.

The County Office of Emergency Management has created Operation Save-a-Life, which will develop a roster of available medical personnel and provide that list to healthcare facilities, or for home health care providers, that are short-staffed due to the virus and in dire need of employment help.

“Nursing homes, assisted living, long-term care, and rehabilitation facilities across Morris County are working hard to take care of their patients and residents. But many are desperately in need of qualified people and struggling to fill staff shortages that are making it difficult to maintain a quality level of care for patients in need,” said Morris County Emergency Management Director Jeff Paul.

“Now more than ever we need to sound the alarm and do our best to support our healthcare facilities who are working hard to keep their patients safe and to help save their lives,’’ he added.

TO SIGN UP FOR THESE CRITICAL JOBS through Operation Save-a-Life, And help some our most vulnerable people during this pandemic, qualified medical personnel are asked to call the Morris County Office of Emergency Management at (973) 829-8600.

If you do not speak directly with a call taker and get the OEM voice mail recording, please leave your name, contact number and medical certification (i.e. Registered Nurse, Licensed Practical Nurse, etc.). One of the Office of Emergency Management staff members will return your phone call within 24-48 hours.

“We are talking about protecting some of our most vulnerable people, our senior citizens and disabled residents, many are older veterans or former police and firemen who long ago served on the front lines protecting us; now they need our help,’’ said Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon.

“Please, we need your help right now,’’ said Morris County Freeholder Director Deborah Smith. “On behalf of all Morris County residents, we ask you to consider filling this great need.”

County OEM officials have spoken to healthcare providers across Morris County to identify this need, and are reaching out to RNs, LPNs, and others in the medical field to see if they can match the need with available personnel. Those who are hired would be paid directly by the individual facility.

The New Jersey Firemen’s Home, located in Boonton, is one example of a facility that needs help caring for its 62 patients/firefighters, who are in danger of possibly having to be moved from their safe location due to a lack of staff.

“We love our firemen, and we don’t want them to leave our facility, but at the same time, we need to make sure that they are provided with the same level of exceptional care that they are accustomed to here at the New Jersey Firemen’s Home. We welcome healthcare providers, RN’s, LPN’s, to join our team,” said Donna Russo, Director of Nursing for the New Jersey Firemen’s Home.

State Senator Anthony Bucco also touted the effort to match medical personnel with facilities that badly need assistance.

“This is exactly the type of outside-the-box thinking that we need during this crisis,” said Sen. Bucco. “Using the county OEM and Sheriff’s Office to match medical workers and resources to facilities such as the Firemen’s Home will save lives and prevent having to relocate people in those homes who are the most vulnerable.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris Focus asked Morris County Surrogate for an update on her first three months in office.  Here is her reply:

I am finishing up the first quarter of my first year as Morris County Surrogate. When I ran for this office, I had goals and ideas for myself and the office but I never knew the extent those goals would be impacted by an external source, Covid-19.

Nonetheless, in my first three months, we still accomplished several important goals.

First, we edited, updated and added to the Morris County Surrogate’s Manual, which had been discontinued in 2018. Now, for the first time ever, the book is also available through an online link at MorrisSurrogate.com, as it arrived from the printer just as our office closed to the public due to the virus.

Second, in conjunction with the Morris County Bar Association, we have implemented a low cost attorney program. This will provided low-cost attorney services to the Morris County Probate Court.

Third, we have designed a new website with more access to information, utility of probate forms, links to important services and partners and more. We are simply waiting for things to ease up for our IT department so that they have time to upload the new site.

As far as Covid-19, our office has always been one that dealt with the public face-to face, until the week of March 16, 2020. That week, we had to decide how to move forward in a manner that is safe for all yet still effective. Fortunately, our simple online forms, email, scanners, facsimile, mail and couriers have allowed us to continue to provide services. Although we are getting through this way, we are still coming to the office as an essential services provider that is helping widows and widowers obtain access to funds and assisting those in need of guardianships, particularly medical in nature, during this difficult time. It has also obviated the need for online access to the Surrogate’s Office which I discussed during my campaign for this office as something very necessary. I discussed the need for more online options as we moved to the point where millennials would be managing their parent’s care but the current health crisis seems to have propelled us forward into a more internet based society that is now here to stay.

Three months ago I could not have imagined that we would be living in the state we are today. That being said, I think that we must all remain positive and look forward to the future. I personally look forward to the day that I can resume meeting with groups to continue to discuss the Surrogate’s Office and why it is so important to be prepared for certain moments in life, as we see each day right now.

Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling, Esq.

PARSIPPANY —  There’s an urgent and immediate need for blood donations throughout northern New Jersey and New York State, as responses to the nationwide coronavirus outbreak are severely impacting the U.S. blood supply.

Vitalant (a nonprofit, blood collection organization formerly known as Community Blood Services) is responding by offering residents of northern New Jersey and New York State 29 local, open-to-the-public donation events during April to ensure that patients have the lifesaving blood they need. The greatest need is for blood platelets — small cells in the blood that form clots to prevent bleeding, while also helping with anemia and low blood counts – and type O-negative, the universal blood type.

FEMA has specifically identified blood donation as an “essential and integral component of the emergency support function.” Of note, coronavirus cannot be transferred through the blood. And, as always, the blood collection process is safe with no impact on the donor’s immune system. Vitalant staff follows rigorous safety and disinfection protocols at its blood drives and donation centers and have always required individuals to be in good health to donate blood.

For more information on the need for blood donation during the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), click here.

Vitalant also maintains four New Jersey blood centers, with hours and street addresses as follows:

• Lincoln Park (63 Beaverbrook Rd. | Suite 304) – Click here for hours
• Montvale (102 Chestnut Ridge Rd.) – Click here for hours
• Paramus (One West Ridgewood Ave., Suite 208) – Click here for hours
• Parsippany (1259 Rt. 46 East, Building #4E | Suite 410) – Click here for hours

As an added incentive to all who donate from Friday, April 10 through Monday, April 13, Vitalant is providing – at its mobile blood drives and New Jersey donation centers in Lincoln Park, Montvale, Paramus, and Parsippany – a $10.00 dollar Amazon gift card and an aluminum sports bottle. In addition, type A+ and B+ donors who donate platelets for the first time EVER will receive a $25 Amazon gift card in the mail, while all type AB male plasma donors will receive a $5 mystery gift card in the mail for every plasma donation they make during 2020 (counting is done at the end of each month).

Healthy individuals age 16 or older, who weigh at least 110 pounds, may donate blood; 16- and 17-year-olds must have proof of birth date and signed consent forms, either in English (Click here) or Spanish (Click here).

Donors should eat a moderate meal prior to donating, and also bring identification featuring their signature.

On occasion, last-minute changes to scheduling for a donation event will occur. As a result, it is recommended that anyone planning to donate blood at a Vitalant donation event call (201) 251-3703, toll free, to confirm timing and location details. Additional information about donating blood is also available by clicking here.

About Vitalant in New Jersey

A not-for-profit organization that supplies blood and blood products to hospitals in the NJ/NY region, Bergen County-based Vitalant (previously Community Blood Services) has been devoted to serving the community’s transfusion medicine needs since 1953. Donations of blood and blood products, umbilical cord blood, stem cells, and bone marrow help to join individuals, organizations, businesses, and entire communities together in partnership to help save lives.

About Vitalant

Arizona-based Vitalant is among the nation’s oldest and largest transfusion medical organizations in the U.S.  Founded in 1943, its blood centers division serves some 700 hospitals across the United States. A founding member of America’s Blood Centers and the AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks), Vitalant also operates biological products distribution services, a quality consulting group, and a world-renowned transfusion medicine research institute. It also is a partner in the operation of high-volume donor testing laboratories.