Send National Guard into N.J. nursing homes besieged by coronavirus, top doctor urges Murphy

David Barile

David Barile, Medical Director of Geriatric and Palliative Services and the Geriatric Section Chief at UPENN Hospital of Princeton, said the quality of care has degraded inside nursing homes. He urged Gov. Phil Murphy to send in the National Guard to help bolster staffing depleted by the coronavirus.

There is a “staffing crisis” inside New Jersey nursing homes that Gov. Phil Murphy could address by sending in the National Guard to bolster the thinning ranks of employees infected by the coronavirus, a prominent geriatric physician said Friday.

The governor already has dispatched the the National Guard to distribute personal protective equipment and food and help assemble field hospitals. Last week, 75 medics were sent to the state veterans’ homes in Edison and Paramus as an increasing number of employees are out sick.

With nursing home residents making up 40 percent of all COVID-19 deaths in New Jersey, it’s time to deploy the national guard to any long-term care facility in peril, according to an open letter from David Barile, the medical director of Geriatric and Palliative Services at UPENN Hospital of Princeton and founder of Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey, which promotes palliative care.

“Most of our frail elders in nursing and assisted living facilities require hands on assistance with basic functions such as eating, toileting and bathing. In the current ‘lock-down’ environment where all are kept in their rooms (or should be), elders are not being fed, cleaned, nor cared for with regard to their basic needs,'' Barile wrote in his letter.

“Many are left bedbound for days, likely to result in bedsores and subsequent illnesses such as pneumonia and fractures due to falls."

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Businesses that are open | Homepage

Barile’s said he based his recommendation on what he has observed with his own patients. One COVID-19 positive patient he visited at an assisted living facility was not wearing a mask and sitting in the common area.

"When I inquired how this could possibly happen, the response was due to ‘lack of staffing,’ " Barile’s letter said.

Guardsman and guardswoman who lack medical training may help feed residents or deliver medication, under the health department’s supervision, the letter said.

“The staffing crises impacts care for those not only presently suffering from COVID, but all residents of elder care facilities,” Barile said.

During his daily briefing on the outbreak, Murphy on Saturday said deploying members of the national guard to nursing homes “continues to be an option on the table.”

In all, New Jersey, a state of 9 million residents, has now seen at least 78,467 confirmed cases and 3,840 deaths of COVID-19. Only New York has more cases and deaths among U.S. states.

Of those, there have been at least 9,094 cases and 1,530 deaths within 384 longterm care facilities in New Jersey reporting at least one positive COVID-19 case, officials said Friday.

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether it’s a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.