Reports Sought of Misconduct in New Jersey’s Nursing Homes
On April 16, 2020, Gurbir S. Grewal, Esq., the New Jersey Attorney General, announced that his office had opened a statewide investigation into the high number of COVID-19 related deaths at New Jersey’s long-term care facilities and nursing homes. The stated purpose of his investigation was to determine whether there was evidence that anyone broke the law and should face civil or criminal penalties for their conduct.
In connection with this ongoing investigation, the Attorney General is seeking help from the public in gathering information into the various facilities’ actions. Reportedly, the investigation is focusing, in part, upon the business practices of these facilities, which would suggest an intent to hold the facilities’ leadership accountable for things such as:
- Running their operations with insufficient nursing staff;
- Failure to develop and implement safe infection control policies and practices; and,
- Failure to follow the specific instructions of the relevant government agencies before and during the pandemic
In one press briefing, Grewal stated: “We’ve lost too many lives of long-term care facility residents to COVID-19. Roughly half of all of our COVID-19 deaths statewide have been of individuals who had been within the long-term care system.” The AG made it clear that he is looking back at past acts and will hold parties accountable if anything criminal happened. Gov. Murphy has emphasized that residential care facilities like nursing homes have been a primary concern for the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The AG’s Office is asking for the public’s help during the early stages of the investigation and has set up a web page to facilitate reports of firsthand knowledge of illegal activity or other misconduct in New Jersey’s Nursing Homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be accessed here: https://covid19.nj.gov/forms/ltc
If you have any documents that demonstrate the misconduct you are reporting, contact a Misconduct Nursing Homes New Jersey Lawyer you may upload them through the form or, if you prefer, you can remain anonymous. Call Davis & Brusca, LLC today.
