More Coronavirus Deaths Reported At West Caldwell Retirement Home

WEST CALDWELL, NJ — The number of coronavirus deaths at a nursing home and assisted living facility in West Caldwell has tripled in the span of a few weeks, a document shows.

Earlier this month, Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey, which operates Crane's Mill in West Caldwell, told NJ.com it was experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19 among residents. As of early April, there were a total of 24 cases of the virus at the facility, with six deaths linked to the disease.

Crane’s Mill administrators have been posting COVID-19 updates on the facility’s website, which are accessible to family members only. Patch obtained a copy of a message reportedly posted to the site on Monday (see below).

The message appears to show that – as of Monday – the total number of COVID-19 cases at Crane’s Mill had risen to 36, with 18 deaths.

Patch reached out to Crane’s Mill to confirm the website message and coronavirus totals. Colleen Frankenfield, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey (LSMNJ), offered the following reply on Tuesday:

“We do have positive cases within our community of more than 365 residents, and sadly, some of them have passed away due to complications that included COVID-19.”

Frankenfield and LSMNJ spokespeople declined to comment on the specific number of cases or deaths at Crane’s Mill, citing patient confidentiality.

“It’s important to remember that these aren’t statistics, but people we care a great deal about,” Frankenfield said.

However, there are no new cases to report as of Tuesday, and several residents are “on the road to recovery,” Frankenfield said.

“We now report with cautious optimism that, similar to trends we are starting to see across the state and country, we may be turning the corner due to our vigilant monitoring of resident and staff wellness and community-wide adjustments in practices to contain the spread of the virus,” Frankenfield stated.

• See related article: NJ Coronavirus Updates (Here's What You Need To Know)

COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS AT CRANE’S MILL

The Crane’s Mill retirement community is located on 48 acres in West Caldwell. It serves adults 60 years and older, a group that faces an increased risk from the new coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

The facility has a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

According to Frankenfield, staff are protecting residents and staff from the COVID-19 virus by implementing and adjusting protocols and policies to strictly adhere to guidelines from the CDC and the state Department of Health.

Read the facility’s FAQ on COVID-19.

“Like most senior living facilities across the Northeast Region, we faced challenges in mounting an impenetrable defense against this highly contagious virus that our health experts are still learning about,” Frankenfield said.

“We report to public health officials as required,” Frankenfield stated. “We communicate updates regularly to our residents and their families, as we know it’s important that they receive information directly from us.”

The facility has created a section on its website that discusses the precautions staff have been taking involving COVID-19. Those policies include:

Limiting Interactions – “Non-essential personnel are working remotely. Visitors are not permitted except in extenuating circumstances with administrative approval. Social distancing is being strictly enforced. This applies to everyone — maintaining a safe distance of 6 feet or more.”

Screening for Symptoms – “All essential personnel are screened upon entering the community and are provided a mask and the directive to wear it at all times, in all places. This includes all of our staff, as well as the staff of Nutrition Management, SpiriCare and Journey Hospice, and all contracted agency and privately paid aides for residents. All are reminded often to self-monitor for symptoms while at work and at home.”

Enhancing Infection Control Protocols – “All essential personnel are wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) at all times while on shifts and are receiving numerous in-service education on infection control, proper handwashing and contact precautions. When staff directly care for residents, they also wear face shields. We have a significant supply of PPE in inventory. More frequent disinfecting and extensive cleaning and sanitizing are being conducted throughout the building, especially on high touch areas.”

Increasing Monitoring of Residents – “In the Health Center (Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living), we are assessing vital signs (Pulse Ox, BP and temperature) at least two times every day. We are calling to check on our Independent Living residents twice a week. All residents have a pendant that allows them to contact staff instantaneously. Additional staffing has been acquired from nursing agencies to ensure that our residents are receiving the care they need. We are following the current CDC guidelines for these staff members.”

NJ HEALTH DEPARTMENT: CORONAVIRUS AND NURSING HOMES

Earlier this week, a spokesperson with the New Jersey Department of Health offered Patch a statement about procedures for monitoring COVID-19 at nursing homes.

The spokesperson wrote:

"The department continues to work with long-term care facilities to deliver infection control education to facilities with outbreaks, which includes instruction on donning and doffing and is working to get them the supplies they need. We ordered facilities to curtail visitors on March 14. On March 6 and again on April 6 we sent notifications to nursing homes, assisted living and other long-term facilities about their responsibility under the law to have outbreak plans that include clear policies for the notification of residents, staff and family members when COVID-19 cases have been identified in their facilities.

"The Department of Health is working on a statewide plan to assist nursing homes experiencing large outbreaks and shortages of staff and equipment. We are surveying their status including current census, available beds, ability to cohort staff and patients, physical layout, supplies, staffing and other resources they might need. We are dividing the state into three regions and will look at movement of patients and resources on a regional. We are looking at the healthcare professionals who have volunteered to serve to see if we can send additional staff to nursing homes. Our goal is to keep those who haven’t been exposed safe and to ensure those exposed or tested positive get the care they need and have the space, staff and supplies to support care of patients with COVID-19.

"All long-term care facilities are required to report cases to the local health department where the facility is located. The commissioner has reminded facilities of their statutory obligation to inform staff, residents and relatives of staff about cases.

"We are in an unprecedented situation with a pandemic that has not been seen in the U.S. since 1918. Situations like this show pretty clearly the vulnerability of our systems of care and this is one of them. When this pandemic subsides, the Department of Health will be doing a full statewide evaluation of services, supply and response."

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