HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy in Andover, NJ

It became apparent at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak that society's most vulnerable had been hardest hit, as the virus infiltrated nursing homes across the state. The warnings of just how devastating was evident in April 2020 when residents at an Andover nursing home, one of the largest in the state, began to perish, one by one.

As local and state leaders spoke out, family lawsuits began to pour in and federal officials took notice, a portrait began to emerge of a long-term care facility, already years-deep in failed inspections, unable to control the virus's invasion as it wreaked havoc inside.

Now, over two years since 17 bodies were found piled in a morgue meant to hold a few, the former Andover Subacute II, later renamed Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center, has closed its doors and the last of its residents have found new places to call home.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Health confirmed there are no longer occupants inside the sprawling facility on Mulford Road, which at one time offered 543 beds for those with Alzheimer's and dementia as well as other mental and physical disabilities. A security team and a small group of clerical and maintenance staff remain inside, spokesperson Nancy Kearney said.

Since a judge's May decision to appoint a receiver to oversee operations, a move that temporarily stripped owners Chaim Scheinbaum and Louis Schwartz of their roles, 358 residents were moved to other proper placements. Most residents were moved to other nursing homes, and a few have gone to medical boarding homes.

The swift but mindful move of residents was complete by Aug. 11, four days before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services terminated funding, which made up 92% of the facility's revenue. Amid scathing allegations that residents were facing abuse and neglect after an inspectors' report in February, years after the facility was cast in the national spotlight, state officials took their own steps in May and revoked the facility's license.

Attorneys representing Alliance Healthcare Holdings, which operates Woodland, did not respond to requests for comment and have not spoken on the issue since an email sent to the New Jersey Herald in March. They have also been mum in court filings, having filed no paperwork since June. An attorney representing BNJD Mulford Property, an Illinois-based company that owns the property and leases the building to Alliance, also has not responded to requests for comment.

The future of the facility, which sits on nearly 17 acres of land in Sussex County, remains uncertain. Kearney said the state Department of Health has not received any applications for a license transfer, but the future of the building is in the hands of those who own it.

'Experiencing greater freedom'

Woodland's owners took the position that finding other facilities for the residents would prove difficult, but once they were removed by court order, transitions out of the facility went quick, said Laurie Brewer, New Jersey's long-term care ombudsman.

"Many of the residents at Woodland who had been labeled as difficult were being set up for failure by the facility," Brewer said.

As an advocate whose office protects the rights and preserves the health of those in long-term care facilities, Brewer said she is finding that residents are doing much better in their new homes.

At Woodland, she said, staffing was limited, residents rarely stepped outside and there were no therapeutic activities or counseling available. Residents consumed "junk and sodas" during the day, rather than being offered nutritious meals, Brewer added.

"The state of New Jersey absolutely did the right thing by moving everyone out and revoking the license," she said.

Brewer said that although some residents found it difficult to leave after developing bonds with some dedicated staff members, those residents "were in the minority."

"These former Woodland residents tell us they are happier and are experiencing greater freedom and better quality of care in their new homes," she added.

While Brewer said she, too, is unsure what the future holds for the facility, she is adamant that it never be a long-term care facility as large as Woodland once was.

"There is no way that a long-term care institution of this size should ever be permitted to operate in this state again," she said. "Massive institutions like this one should be a relic of the past."

Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook:www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.

To ensure the health and safety of the residents of the Woodland Behavioral and Nursing Center in Andover, a Superior Court Judge today signed an order placing the nursing home in receivership.

The Receiver will control the facility’s finances and ensure that the operations of the facility continue uninterrupted during this transition period. Atlantic Health System, which was selected as monitor in March, will work with the Receiver to manage daily operations of the nursing home.

The court appointed Allen Wilen, a partner at the EisnerAmper and National Financial Advisory Services practice leader, as temporary Receiver consistent with the recommendation of the Departments of Health and Human Services. EisnerAmper is one of the largest accounting, tax, and business advisory firms in the U.S. The firm is nationally known for its expertise in healthcare and restructuring.

“The Receiver will ensure that employee paychecks are processed and staff retention policies and bonuses are implemented and will work with the State and other long-term care facilities to facilitate job placement for qualified individuals,” Wilen said.

“Ensuring the health, safety and dignity of the residents of this nursing home is the Department’s highest priority,” said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “The Department appreciates the dedication and commitment of Woodland employees during this transition period.”

“The judge’s decision recognizes the unprecedented gravity of this situation,” Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said. “We look forward to working with the Receiver to ensure the best possible care for Woodland residents.”

The Department selected Atlantic Health System as monitor of Woodland in March after citing the facility for significant health and safety violations. Despite guidance from the monitor and oversight from the state and federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the facility’s operators have failed to address and maintain adequate staffing levels and a safe environment of care. On May 26, CMS notified the facility that its Medicare provider agreement will be terminated on June 25, 2022.

Since its appointment as monitor, Atlantic Health System has been conducting an onsite assessment of business practices, operations and infrastructure.

"The health and well-being of our community is the core purpose of our team. We will continue to do all we can through our steadfast partnership with the State to provide care and support for the residents and caregivers of Woodland,” said Brian Gragnolati, President & CEO, Atlantic Health System.

ANDOVER TOWNSHIP — Testimony for a proposed construction storage facility resumed at Tuesday's Land Use Board meeting after a two-month break, with the applicant's engineer introducing a scaled-down version of original site plans and addressing various environmental concerns.

Chris Nusser, who represents BHT in its application on Stickles Pond Road, sat for roughly three hours of testimony and questioning from BHT attorney Roger Thomas as well as township experts and board members. The hearing, held at the Hillside Park Barn, was stopped before members of the public could comment and will resume next month.

Nusser, who first testified at the July Land Use Board meeting, noted some revisions to plans originally presented for the 100-acre property. Most notably, he said, the storage area for BHT construction equipment would be reduced to a quarter of its previous space, from 12.14 acres to 3.40 acres.

The reduction came after township engineer Cory Stoner questioned the need for so much space, approximately one to three vehicles per acre, during the hearing in October.

Nusser also spoke about potential environmental issues raised by the board and members of the public, including the possibility of materials such as asphalt millings migrating into the nearby Pequest River and other "sensitive areas" of the property.

Nusser said BHT has plans to implement an infiltration basin, which captures stormwater runoff and filters it into the soil. The site will also have detention basins, where any additional material on the property would be directed before it is collected and disposed of by the company.

The systems meet standards required by the state Department of Environmental Protection, Nusser said, and BHT is conducting an analysis of the property to be sent to the agency for review.

"The overall use of millings on the site is, one, in keeping with the (state) guidance, and two, has several fail-safes involved with it to make sure that it is protective of the environment," he said.

The proposed BHT facility would also include aggregate construction materials no more than 8 feet tall and storage containers 8 feet, 6 inches high to hold fencing and piping.

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Nusser discussed the visibility of operations at the site, including a tree buffer between 10 and 25 feet thick and fencing to be placed along Stickles Pond Road. He said his opinion remains the same as it did in July — that the company is "substantially screening" the property to residents in the area.

In addressing noise, another significant concern of the community, Nusser said BHT would accept a condition upon the application's approval to conduct a test to ensure that site operations conform to the state's noise code. But board member Eric Olsen suggested that the test take place before the vote.

"This noise is a big concern," Olsen said. "It's my recommendation that we ask for a noise study prior to making a decision on this so that we can have that information to better inform our decision-making."

Board Chair Paul Messerschmidt proposed a condition that BHT keep logs of its weekly inspections of equipment on the property, which the company would then send to the township for review on a quarterly basis.

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Nusser's testimony will continue at the next hearing, 7:30 p.m., March 15, at the barn. The meeting is expected to include findings from two consulting companies retained by the board, Equity Environmental Engineering and H2M Environmental Services, regarding stormwater management and other aspects of the site.

Also at the March meeting, board attorney Tom Molica announced Tuesday, the Land Use Board may discuss the possibility of moving future meetings to either Long Pond School or Florence M. Burd School in Andover for logistical reasons.

ANDOVER TOWNSHIP — The Land Use Board continued to hear testimony for a proposed construction storage facility on Stickles Pond Road, as attorneys for the applicant and residents clashed over numerous questions posed to the witness.

Board members also voted unanimously at Tuesday's hearing to hire an environmental expert to review the application submitted by BHT to use the approximately 100-acre property to store construction equipment such as bulldozers, dump trucks and excavators.

Elizabeth Durkin, who represents residents neighboring the proposed site, questioned Marielle Sainz, chief of operations for BHT Construction, for several hours. When Sainz was asked about her job history prior to joining BHT about a year and a half ago, she said she worked construction sites similar to the one proposed in Andover.

Sainz said she oversees four active sites owned by the BHT— one each in New York, Minnesota, California and Florida — with a fifth, in Maryland, set to begin operations next month. While the current sites include three storage containers across the four properties, the plan in Andover calls for anywhere between 500 and 1,000 containers measuring 40 feet in length.

Durkin grew frustrated with numerous objections raised by Roger Thomas, the attorney representing BHT, regarding her questioning as the hearing went on. Thomas said the line of questioning, which attempted to clarify the site's layout and day-to-day operations, was not relevant to Sainz's role at the company.

Durkin, meanwhile, said the questions were relatively simple in nature. She expressed concern when Sainz was not able to provide specific information on how much material will be stored in containers and how it will get to and from the site.

"Right now, I'm just trying to ask basic questions of operations," Durkin said. "I did not offer this witness as the operations/facility manager for BHT Construction; the applicant chose to put this person here. And quite frankly, the board should be dismayed that basic questions of operations can't be answered."

Sainz said employees on the site, between 10 and 20 at a time, would be better equipped to address logistical matters brought up by Durkin.

"With regards to storing the pipe in the containers, I will speak to my construction crew and ask them how they would like to store it in there," Sainz said. "They would be the ones who would have the knowledge on how to load and unload that into a container. They're the ones daily on site, and I will speak with them and I can get an answer for you."

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Thomas said Chris Nusser, an engineer representing BHT's application who testified in July, would be able to answer some of the questions. Nusser did not testify asSainz's testimony ran long. He is expected to be available at the next hearing.

Board members voted to retain an environmental expert in response to a July letter from the Andover Township Environmental Commission, which raised various concerns about the impact the proposed BHT facility may have on the property and surrounding area.

Board Chair Paul Messerschmidt said the expert will be paid using funds from the township's escrow account and will not cost taxpayers additional money.

The board is also open to a possible new location for future hearings at the request of BHT officials. The Hillside Park barn was able to accommodate a larger crowd during the COVID-19 pandemic, but with capacity restrictions no longer in place, Thomas said the applicant hopes to find a venue with better acoustics and lighting.

BHT representatives will discuss the matter with the board at its next regular meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7, at the Andover Township Municipal building.

"No substantive proceeding will take place at that Dec. 7 meeting. No testimony will be heard," said board attorney Tom Molica. "Rather, the applicant and the board will determine when the next hearing date will be and where it will be."

The company's proposed site plan is significantly different from the auto auction and storage facility that was first submitted in early 2020. The new proposal, which was first announced at the Land Use Board's March meeting, is listed as a "construction business office and construction equipment and material storage facility" that is permitted use in the zone where the property is located.

The site plan calls for BHT to use the approximately 100-acre property to store construction equipment such as bulldozers, dump trucks and excavators. The facility would also include aggregate construction materials no more than 8 feet tall as well as storage containers 8 feet, 6 inches high to hold fencing and piping.

A North Jersey company that once planned to build the world's largest glass recycling plant in Andover Township started selling off its assets last Wednesday.

More than two dozen trucks, including tractor-trailers and dump trucks, owned by Jersey City's Pace Glass are on the auction block this week as part of liquidation proceedings. The company needs to pay back its creditors and is also facing a lawsuit filed in October by the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, records show.

State officials have accused the company of allowing contaminated stormwater runoff to flow off Jersey City properties it has used to illegally stockpile crushed glass mixed with solid waste.

"The stockpiled glass is also a source of dust and odors that impact the quality of life of nearby residents, and multiple fires occurred at the site in May 2021, directly threatening public safety," said a statement from the Attorney General’s Office.

The state complaint alleged the company has used properties on Caven Point Avenue and Bishop Street in Jersey City to store glass materials purportedly awaiting processing and resale. The Caven Point Avenue site contains more than 300,000 cubic yards of crushed glass material, which is mixed with plastic, paper, food debris and other solid waste, according to state officials.

In its complaint, the state is seeking penalty payments, a contamination cleanup and the removal of the outstanding debris. Records show the sites received violations as early as 2016 from the Hudson Regional Health Commission for operating a solid waste facility without a permit on Bishop Street and using an unapproved site on Caven Point Avenue.

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In Andover, local officials in the spring of 2021 began to require Pace Glass to remove bales of glass from the planned mega-plant site after the Health Department received complaints. Pace Glass had been using a Swedish company's baling system to store recyclable glass fragments in anticipation of its reuse. However, Andover officials also began to consider the recyclables solid waste, records show.

Fred Semrau, the municipal attorney for Andover Township, said Township Committee members will be discussing the future of the site during an executive session scheduled for next week.

"It's a matter that we're still looking at from the legal and the engineering standpoint," he said.

The online auction of the Pace Glass vehicle fleet is the first phase of a court-ordered liquidation, records show. It is set to be followed by the sale of the Jersey City glass recycling facility on Bishop Street. It is unclear what will happen to the 85-acre Andover property and the adjacent 5-acre portion in Lafayette.

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The company ended operations in June 2020, according to state officials. That April, it received approval for a $326,520 loan through the federal Paycheck Protection Program, records show.

CEO George Valiotis and other investors in 2014 bought Pace Glass, an existing Jersey City operation. The business concept revolved around receiving, separating and reselling glass from area recycling centers using German-engineered optical sorters, Valiotis told NorthJersey.com at the Andover groundbreaking in 2018. He said some customers and suppliers were on board, but predicted that a completed plant and steady product would add more. The company planned to provide discounts to local solid waste collectors bringing glass loads with limited debris and sell colored and clear glass pieces to large glassware manufacturers.

“Our close proximity to major cities and towns will really give us an advantage on collecting what is often destined for landfills and considered trash,” he said that May. “This is for the future, but we have the sales right now. We're confident.”

Company officials said they planned to spend up to $90 million on the Andover project, which was expected to be competed by 2022. More than 420,000 tons of bulk glass chips brought mostly through an adjacent rail line were estimated to be processed at the facility each year in plans submitted by Pace Glass officials to Andover Township.

The project's main backer was Efstathios Valiotis, a billionaire New York real estate mogul who owns Queens-based Alma Bank. He is expected to be the main beneficiary of the upcoming liquidation. His real estate company, Alma Realty Corp., owns the Andover and Lafayette lots. Valiotis could not be reached for comment.

David Zimmer is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.