New Jersey's Psychiatric Hospitals Face 240 COVID-19 Cases, Including 5 Deaths

New Jersey's four state-run psychiatric hospitals have been hit hard with COVID-19 with more than 200 positive cases and five deaths.

In a data released by the state's Health Department Saturday (April 11), the number of positive COVID-19 cases in four psychiatric hospitals has tripled last week, rising to 240 cases.

At the same time, Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli confirmed Tuesday that 80 cases associated with the four hospitals – 46 employees and 34 patients – had tested positive for the virus, said NJ.com.

Of the four institutions, Trenton Psychiatric Hospital has the most number of COVID-19-positive cases. Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner told the outlet that 93 employees and 27 patients have contracted the virus. In addition, 15 patients remain in an “acute-care” hospital, while one has died.

Persichilli also said in last week's press briefing that test results for 153 employees working at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital are still pending.

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital meanwhile has 44 employees and 33 patients have tested positive for COVID-19. Four out of the 33 positive patients have died.

The Parsippany-based mental hospital housed 339 patients as of Friday, said the New York Post, citing the Trentonian.

New Jersey's largest psychiatric hospital, the Ancora Psychiatric Hospital located in Camden County, reported 17 workers and 10 patients with the illness, with one patient hospitalized for the virus.

The Ann Klein Forensic Center, a 200-bed psychiatric hospital in West Trenton, also had its fair share of positive cases with six employees and 10 of its 179 patients falling ill, Health Department spokeswoman Dawn Thomas told NJ.com.

With hospital employees blindsided by the surge of infections, those working at Ancora and Greystone Park sent letters to the outlet and pointed at the hospital's upper management for not telling them “real-life information” about the spread of the virus.

Among others, the letters claimed workers lacked Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), with Ancora employees saying they were discouraged from wearing masks for fear that it would “scare the patients. In addition, an undated letter composed by Greystone Park employees detailed further the lack of protective gear made them “fearful for their lives.”

Anonymous Trenton Psychiatric Hospital employees followed suit and launched a change.org petition, urging the CEO to allow non-essential employees to work remotely and to practice social distancing.