Contractors asked to donate N95 masks for healthcare providers

🚨CONTRACTORS🚨Do u have N95 masks?😷
𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 w donations as NJ is facing a major shortage. UTCA is coordinating with members & the state & will have collection info later today. Contact office 732.292.4300 or DM for info #COVID19 #NJ

— UTCA of NJ (@UTCANJ) March 18, 2020

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State to Reopen Woodbury Hospital and Others to Help with Coronavirus Surge

By LILO H. STAINTON , NJ Spotlight

New Jersey health officials plan to expand hospital capacity by nearly 800 beds in the coming weeks to help prepare for a likely patient surge related to the growing coronavirus epidemic and to keep cases of the resulting COVID-19 disease from overwhelming the state’s health care system.

State Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced Wednesday that work was underway to immediately add a total of 260 beds at three acute care hospitals that had recently downsized; while the DOH did not provide specifics, she said 199 beds would be at a north Jersey facility, 11 in central Jersey and 50 in the state’s southern region. Capacity for another 227 patients would be added in the weeks to come, she said.

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Middletown Senior Housing Resident Tests Positive For COVID-19

A resident of Tomaso Towers, an affordable high-rise senior citizen development managed by the Middletown Housing Authority, has tested positive for COVID-19, according to an announcement by the Township.

The resident is currently hospitalized.  All close contacts have been contacted by the Middletown Health Department. Read the rest of this entry »

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Murphy expands COVID-19 Call Center Options

Press Release

Governor Phil Murphy, the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, the New Jersey Department of Health, and the United Ways of New Jersey announced today that NJ 211 has been activated to help handle COVID-19 related calls from New Jersey residents.

All residents with questions or concerns about COVID-19 and resources available to them can call 2-1-1. NJ 211 is New Jersey’s statewide, comprehensive, information and referral service operated by United Ways of New Jersey. Read the rest of this entry »

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Murphy asks Trump for Military and Army Corp Assistance To Build Hospitals

NJ Gov Phil Murphy

Stating that New Jersey faces a potential hospital bed shortage of anywhere from 123,000 to 313,000 sometime between May and October, and that there could be a critical care bed shortage of 2000 within the next two weeks,  New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wrote to President Donald Trump on Tuesday to request that the federal government provide Military and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers assistance in expanding the state’s hospital and intensive care unit capacity.

Murphy wrote that failing to expand NJ’s medical capacity could results in medical professionals being “forced the make the agonizing decisions the world has seen in Northern Italy–they will have no choice but to deny lifesaving care, including ventilators to those in need of it.”

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Mayor Perry Declares a State of Emergency in Middletown

Middletown Mayor Tony Perry

MIDDLETOWN, NJ –At Monday’s Middletown Township Committee meeting, Mayor Tony Perry declared a State of Local Disaster Emergency within Middletown to help mitigate the evolving COVID-19 health situation.

“The health and safety of this community is our top priority,” said Mayor Perry. “It is crucial that we find ways to encourage fellow citizens to practice social distancing to help contain the spread of this disease. We are implementing these measures because it is imperative that our residents understand the gravity of the situation.” Read the rest of this entry »

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N.J. distillery switches from making spirits to sanitizers during coronavirus outbreak

You won’t want to drink what Claremont Distillery is brewing this week. Instead of its usual menu of vodka, bourbon and moonshine, the Fairfield distillery is hard at work making gallons of hand sanitizer to offset supply shortages during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tim Koether, the owner, said the motivation behind the switch from spirits to sanitizer was simple.“My wife couldn’t find any, and she was getting all panicked,” Koether told NJ Advance Media. Helping out his wife gave him the chance to help the larger community, and the decision became a no-brainer. “It’s like to me, it just seems like… Read the rest of this entry »

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Tune in to the Tommy G Show at 4:05 pm

MMM publisher Art Gallagher will be Tommy G’s guest on this afternoon, 4:05 PM, on the best afternoon drive time radio show in New Jersey.

Tommy and Art will, of course, be discussing COVID-19, and our various governments’ response to the crisis.

The Tommy G Show is broadcast Monday through Friday from 3pm – 6pm in Central New Jersey on 1450 AM WCTC, on the Internet by clicking this link , on iHeartRadio, and via the TuneIn app on your smartphone.

We hope you tune in.

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Coronavirus updates: 3rd death in N.J.; first pediatric case; massive closures and curfew paralyze social routines; Everything you need to know. (03/17/2020)

New Jersey residents are waking up to a new coronavirus reality Tuesday with unprecedented statewide closures and restrictions on businesses, the final day when schools are permitted to remain open and news of the third coronavirus death as statewide cases have increased to 178.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced late Monday a man in his 90s died from coronavirus at Hackensack University Medical Center. The number of coronavirus cases in the state soaredfrom 98 on Sunday to at least 178 on Monday.

In addition, casinos in Atlantic City are closed for the foreseeable future and Murphy urged people to avoid n… Read the rest of this entry »

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Congressman Chris Smith Is Assisting CD-4 Public Health Officials

Congressman Chris Smith in his Freehold district office

Freehold Township, NJ —Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) continues reaching out to public health officials in his district including Dan Regenye, Ocean County Public Health Coordinator to offer “absolutely any advocacy and assistance necessary on the federal level” to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

            Smith said Regenye briefed him on the “mutually reinforcing aggressive steps” Ocean County has undertaken including the push to identify and test at-risk people, school closing and need for students during closures to adhere to “social distancing—no parties or sleepovers” and the need for personal protective equipment (PPE), especially for health workers and first responders.

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