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.
Sheriff James M. Gannon
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.”
Freeholder Director Deborah Smith
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.
Sen. Anthony Bucco
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.”
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.
MOUNTAIN LAKES — There will be a Mountain Lakes Board of Education Special Meeting that will take place this evening, Tuesday, March 31 at 4:00 p.m. for the purpose of purpose of discussing the administration’s recommendations to address the identified budget deficit of $1.25-1.5M for the 2020-2021 school year, including reductions in and the reorganization of staff for purposes of efficiency and economy. Action may be taken.
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.
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:
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.
MADISON — Emerson Smith from the Class of 2020 was named to the Winter 2019-2020 Head of School Scholar Honors list at Pomfret School. To achieve this level of distinction, Emerson earned a grade point average of at least 4.00 and received no grade lower than an A-.
Founded in 1894, Pomfret School is an independent college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9 through 12.
They also offer a postgraduate year. Set on 500 acres in the celebrated Last Green Valley of Northeastern Connecticut, their mission is to cultivate a healthy interdependence of mind, body, and spirit in our students.
They offer 8 academic disciplines, more than 100 elective courses, 25 athletic options, and numerous opportunities to participate in community outreach and service programs.
Parsippany Supporting our Town Volunteer Ted Stanziale and Boonton Alderman Joseph Bock at i2i Indian Italian Fusion picking up donated food during the Pandemic to deliver to area hospitals
PARSIPPANY — Parsippany Supporting Our Town is just a week old, and is helping organizations throughout Morris County.
In the first week the group made major accomplishments: Facebook page is up to almost 3500 members. The group raised $20,000 through their GoFundMe page (Click here to donate). 19 volunteers signed up to helped. 15 Restaurants signed on to prepare meals. They made 26 deliveries to various organizations including Parsippany Volunteer Ambulance, Rockaway Neck Volunteer First Aid Squad, Morristown Memorial Hospital, Homeless Solutions, Boonton Police Department, Boonton DPW, Boonton Kiwanis Ambulance, East Hanover Police Department, East Hanover EMT, Rockaway Boro Police Department, Morristown Children Hospital, Chilton EMT, Netcong State Police Barrack, AtlantiCare EMT and many other organizations, and served over 603 meals and spent about $6,000 to help our local restaurants within our town.
Volunteer Ted Stanziale and Boonton Alderman Joseph Bock at i2i Indian Italian FusionTed Stanziale loading up his truck to bring 50 meals to a the employees of Zufall Health. The meals to our front liners prepared by Marra’s Uptown in East Hanover
“We are very thankful for the financial support of Senator Anthony Bucco, Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce, Morris Co. Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo, Rob Zwigard and many other elected officials and willing volunteers, we will use the donations to purchase meals for our first responders from local businesses throughout Parsippany and Morris County,” said Chris Mazzarella.
The Red Barn Restaurant in Montville prepared 14 meals paid for by Feed the Front Line-Morris. Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo delivered the meals to Atlantic Health-Chilton’s EMT team.Soby Abdelhady owner of IHOP loading the truck with over 100 meals were delivered today to the Parsippany Schools Custodial Services. They have been working to clean those schools to make sure they are sanitized for the kids when they go back to school. Thank you Parsippany IHOP for getting all those meals together! Thank You Ted, Ann Marie Battista Stanziale, Rob Zwigard, Christina Gaudenzi Cistaro, and Lori O’Sullivan Smith for making the Pick Up and Delivery.
“BettyLou, Tom and I think this is a great way to support a community-led effort for our first responders and while helping so many small businesses that right now are in need of a financial boost,” said Senator Bucco.
Nick Kraus and Ted Stanziale delivering BurgerIM to Homeless Solutions. Pictured with Tamala Reynolds, Volunteer Manager.BurgerIM donated 60 meals for Homeless Solutions
FLORHAM PARK — A message from Joseph Orlando, Florham Park Chief of Police:
I’m sure many of you, like me, have been tuned into the events surrounding the Coronavirus on television and through other media sources. The President of the United States has encouraged a Stay-At-Home order until April 30 believing a return to normalcy prior to that could reignite a secondary outbreak of this virus.
I would again like to echo my sentiments from Friday night’s post, this is not going to come to end quickly. We as a community must be prepared to endure the length of this virus as we will inevitably return to normalcy, hopefully with the least amount of negative impact on our population possible.
I have received reports that some, whether residents of our community or visitors coming to shop in our center district, have irresponsibly been discarding gloves and face masks in the parking lots of those establishments. Know that discarding potentially infected personal protective equipment (PPE) haphazardly can release the virus in the air and infect other persons. I will be instructing members of the Police Department to aggressively enforce the littering ordinances against any individual discarding PPE in this fashion. It is grossly irresponsible and negligent behavior.
Our officers and volunteer First Aid Squad members have been responding to increased numbers of service calls for medical related issues. Several of these calls are non-emergent and centered around peoples fear and anxiety of the virus. Please visit the CDC website or Covid.nj.gov for details on what is considered Coronavirus symptomatic.
Lastly, in the days ahead you may observe members of the DPW in our parks and recreation facilities working to prepare them for future use. This does not mean the parks or recreation facilities are open. Parks and recreation facilities are mandated to be closed by the Governor’s Executive Orders as well the Morris County Office of Emergency Management Emergency Declaration. The work is being done to simply prepare those areas for the public’s use when we recover from this current situation.
Wishing everyone and their families to be safe and well.
