Manatt Health partner Cindy Mann testified on June 16 at a joint meeting of the New Jersey Assembly’s Aging and Senior Services Committee and Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Her testimony focused on the key recommendations from Manatt Health’s recent report on strengthening the resilience of New Jersey’s nursing homes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on an intensive three-week review commissioned by the state of New Jersey, the report authored by Mann and Carol Raphael, special advisor to Manatt Health, outlines a set of actionable proposals for the state to implement in order to reduce the impact of future COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes and strengthen the state’s long-term care (LTC) system. On June 3, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy shared the steps he will take based on Manatt’s recommendations, which include:
- Strengthening Emergency Response Capacity to plan, coordinate and execute effective responses to future crises.
- Stabilizing Facilities and Bolstering Workforce by increasing the responsibilities of and support for New Jersey’s nursing homes and their workers in the short and long term.
- Increasing Transparency and Accountability by implementing stronger mechanisms to ensure a greater degree of accountability, and increasing transparency through data and reporting.
- Building a More Resilient and Higher-Quality System by implementing structures for stronger state agency collaboration and advancing payment and delivery reforms, including increasing reliance on home- and community-based services.
Click here to read the full report.