(TRENTON) – Implementing a major recommendation of the State-commissioned Manatt Health report on long-term care in New Jersey, legislation to establish the New Jersey Task Force on Long-Term Care Quality and Safety was signed into law Wednesday by Governor Phil Murphy. The measure was unanimously approved by the Assembly and Senate in August.
Under the new law (formerly bill A-4481), the task force will be charged with developing recommendations to make changes to the long-term care system to drive improvements in person-centered care, resident and staff safety, quality of care and services, and workforce engagement and sustainability, among others.
The law’s sponsors, Assembly Democrats Bill Moen (D-Camden, Gloucester), Shavonda Sumter (D-Bergen, Passaic) and Annette Quijano (D-Union) released the following joint statement:
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed longstanding problems in our long-term care system. Not only do we need to address staffing shortages, quality of care concerns and emergency preparedness, but we will need to assess how we can modernize an outdated system to best fit the needs of our most vulnerable residents.
“The work of this task force will help us reform long-term care in New Jersey, including the expansion of home and community-based services, enhancing the use of telemedicine and optimizing resident wellness and infection control.”