Briana: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News.

The federal Covid health emergency is over, but the disease is far from gone, especially among those not fully vaccinated.

>> It's a challenge but it is at levels that we feel are manageable.

Briana: At the Statehouse -- >> What do we need?

>> State staffing!

Briana: Nurses say they are fed up with proposed staffing ratios and fear it could put patients lives in jeopardy.

Plus, why were dozens of cops fired, demoted, and hundreds more suspended?

The Attorney General's Newark is taking treatment for mental health and substance abuse to the streets.

We are along for the ride.

NJ Spotlight News starts right now.

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♪ Announcer: From NJPBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening at thank you for joining us on this Thursday.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

Tonight, a COVID-19 milestone for the nation.

The federal pandemic health emergency is officially over today.

The declaration being lifted by the Biden administration as positive cases, deaths, and hospitalizations have all dramatically declined.

That's due to the availability of vaccines, treatments, and widespread exposure to the virus.

The order has been in place for 37 months.

It took billions in government spending and more than one million lives nationwide.

At least 36,000 people in New Jersey have died as a result of the virus.

Governor Murphy lifted the public health emergency back in March 2022, so the federal change could mean less for residents here.

But New Jersey health Commissioner Judy person Kelly says it is not time to let your guard down.

I sat down with the woman who needs no introduction.

To see you.

Thank you for giving us some of your time.

Let me start with what most people want to know.

What does the end of the public health emergency mean for New Jersey?

>>>> At this point, we know > COVID is not goin away.

But it is at levels we feel are manageable.

For New Jersey, what it means more than anything is we want people to remain vigilant.

Briana: How does that monitoring differ, or does it differ for how the department typically tracks infectious diseases?

>> Some of the biggest changes are immediate reporting of all hospital admissions on a daily basis, seven days a week.

We've done that for three years at this point in time.

Because we've seen hospital admissions decreasing substantially, we can go down to a weekly cadence in that regard.

Briana: Obviously, the disease is not going anywhere as you said, there are still new strains we are monitoring.

How should the public decipher this?

>> What we are still waiting for is to understand the cadence of the disease.

We think we are at a level where the disease is still present but not causing the amount of deaths we saw in prior surges.

The department will be continuing to work with local health departments.

We will continue to put out alerts if we see any indication of spread in our communities.

Briana: Just to clarify, you would or would not classify us in an endemic stage?

>> Most people would say we are in the beginning stage of and midcity -- endimicity.

We will be monitoring surges which will help us be predictive in future responses.

Briana: Let me ask about access and what it means for access to testing, vaccinations, and treatment.

>> Let's start with testing.

At the department, we have enough tests through mid-2024 to support our needs.

We believe we have enough tests, but we will monitor the availability going forward and urge everyone to go to the federal government website and order their test.

There are still tests available for that distribution.

Briana: What about for vaccinations?

Will they remain free for now?

>> Vaccinations will be free.

The federal government did purchase enough to continue vaccinating individuals for free.Once biggest concern is for the uninsured.

There's a New Bridge access program that is a public-private partnership to work with pharmacies to provide vaccines for uninsured adults and children that are uninsured.

Eligible children will continue to get vaccines through the vaccine for children's program.

Briana: Essentially for now until 2020 four, access to those will be free.

How much does it concern you though that the uptake for the bivalent booster is still low, and presumably if it is not free or that access changes, it will remain low?

>> I'm really concerned about it.

We guess overall it's about 20% uptake.

Especially for the elderly and immunocompromised individuals, it is an issue because they are getting sick.

In the deaths we do see, even though they are down, the deaths we see are in that age cohort.

We will continue the public awareness campaign.

Briana: That vulnerable population of course.

Thank you again.

>> It is always a pleasure.

Briana: Those hailed as heroes during the pandemic today stepped away from the front lines of health care to join the picket line.

Nurses protested in Trenton over continued frustrations with working conditions.

These were issues that were boiling prior to COVID.

Now nurses say they have reached their limit.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan was in Trenton and has the story.

Reporter: Hundreds of nurses rallied at the Statehouse in Trenton.

The RN school -- called a code red claiming they are under -- understaffed, overworked.

The urged lawmakers to pass a bill setting mandatory minimum staffing requirements, especially in acute care settings like the ICU >>.

Health care is in crisis.

Reporter: The Union president Debbie White says the stressful working conditions not only endanger patients, it makes nurses quit, which exacerbates a already critical shortage.

>> There's a revolving door.

>> We have to make them put them into humane working conditions where they can do their jobs properly.

It benefits not only them, it benefits all of us.

The minute you become a patient, it becomes your problem.

Reporter: Senator Linda Greenstein is cosponsoring state bill number 304 proposing required staffing ratios including a one nurse to four patient ratio in intermediate and emergency units and a one to two ratio in the ICU.

It makes exceptions for unforeseen emergencies.

It is modeled on a California law and acted 19 years ago.

Studies have showed benefits for patients as well.

>> For patients, decreased likelihood of patient death.

Decreased admissions to critical care.

Improved patient outcomes.

Improved patient satisfaction.

>> Nurses and health care workers are not machines.

Patients are not dollar signs.

It is time for New Jersey to enact enforceable staffing regulations.

>> It has worked in California, I don't see why it can't work in New Jersey.

[Cheers and applause] Reporter: Nurses say they struggled with staffing crises much before the pandemic, that just made it worse.

Polls now show the profession is hemorrhaging nurses.

>> How many more nurses are we willing to lose?

Lose because nurses are fed up, the work is too heavy, patients are getting hurt, nurses are getting hurt.

What is it going to take?

Reporter: New Jersey's Hospital Association says while it is incredibly grateful for the dedicated nurturance -- nurses, we also realize the workforce needs flexibility to appropriately respond in real-time to the needs of their patients.

We are focused on identifying ways to expand the pipeline of nurses and other health care professionals.

They have resisted mandatory staffing saying it drives up costs.

Unions are not buying it.

>> Unfortunately, many hospitals are putting profit over people.

The quest for increasing profits is getting more and more prioritized within the health care system in New Jersey.

Reporter: The bill which asks New Jersey's Department of Health with enforcing new staffing ratios, nurses have been working to get this past four decades.

Today they signed a position asking Governor Murphy to support the bill and handed it to his chief executive assistant.

In Trenton, I'm Brenda Flanagan.

NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Hundreds of police officers were suspended from the job last year.

.

Dozens more from across the state were fired.

Others, demoted.

The officers misconduct, 404 in all, is detailed in the state Attorney General latest discipline report.

It is part of a directive from 2021 aimed at promoting public trust and transparency, by requiring every law enforcement department in New Jersey to submit to the state an annual report outlining major discipline taken by the agency on its officers.

While the state Department of Corrections by far reported the most disciplinary action taken, 173 issued their, Camden County corrections was second.

.

Among municipalities, Newark issued the highest number of major disciplines.

Over all offenses ranged from drunk driving to tampering with evidence and falsifying records, but also murder, criminal mistreatment of inmates, and racial social media posts.

For those experiencing homelessness, life is fraught enough.

But in Ocean County, the on house to have even fewer places to turn.

It is one of the fewer areas in the state that has no full-time homeless shelter or transitional housing.

Homeless residents say they are bounced from agency to agency in search of help, and many prefer the streets over what they say are unsanitary and unsafe conditions at temporary locations offered.

Ted Goldberg reports.

>> I lost my home of 23 years in Beachwood.

It is quite a long story.

It is everyone's story.

It's happening.

I couldn't afford it.

I thought the home was paid for.

Next thing I know, I'm getting letters from attorneys and trying to get to attorneys with no car.

My house got sold out from underneath me.

Reporter: Gene has been homeless in Toms River for three months.

Ocean County does not have a full-time shelter for people experiencing homelessness, so she has been put up in a motel.

>> It's not clean.

There are bugs.

You can't cook.

You are eating sandwiches.

Spending money on food.

It's just hard.

I can't even say it.

It's just hard.

Reporter: Motels may not be a long-term solution as more around the county are demolished and replaced with higher end homes.

Some of the homeless have resorted to living in the woods, subject to the elements, fires, and problems finding food.

>> They want to send me further away from my husband.

He sleeps in the woods or at his aunt's.

We can't do it.

We lost everything.

Now our family unit we had is being ripped apart.

I don't know what's going to happen with that now.

It is scary.

Reporter: Ocean County has affordable housing, but the wait lists can run for years.

The county is getting a small boost from the American rescue plan, which could solve a small part of the problem.

>> We will not end homelessness if we are just putting people on the waiting list.

We are trying to get creative and trying to find units in the community where private landlords are willing to work with us and understand that we will be providing a lot of supports to the people who are placed in those apartments.

Reporter: Tell you set Kelly is the consulti -- consulting attorney for the ending homelessness group, a nonprofit awarded a grant given to ocean County.

.

Some of the money will go toward rent assistance for people who c could become homeles and some will find housing for people who stopped by a code blue shelters over the winter.

>> What we are hoping is a huge infusion of resources for rental assistance, and we can use that money to help end that cycle for many of the people we saw in code blue.

Reporter: Groups around Toms River are divided on how they feel about a homelessness trust fund.

On Wednesday, ocean County Commissioner Gary Quinn said the county is expected to start one as soon as June.

Understood -- under state law, municipalities can add a three dollar to five dollar charge to County and clerks offices, which can be used to help put people in homes.

>> Adding more money is not the issue.It is building a building and having a nonprofit run it.

I'm biased because we've been doing it for six years.

The lack of having a physical building to work out of is the problem that we mostly feel is the biggest obstacle.

>> Does it generate enough money in the long run to solve the problem?

No, it doesn't.

But does it help create at launching pad and source of funding, that does not have to come from someone else?

Ye asked.

And the nice thing is it dedicated.

>> I'm not asking for financial -- just help me.

Help me be able to have my coffee.

Just be a person again and put fruit in the refrigerator.

Reporter: Only touches that are hard to come by when you live in a motel.

NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: New Jersey, like elsewhere in the country, is in the midst of an ongoing teacher shortage.

This law -- this morning, lawmakers have a new package of bills aimed at breaking down employment barriers they say are preventing potential educators from entering the profession.

Senior correspondent Joanna Goggins has the story.

>> This is not just an approaching crisis.

It is a crisis that is here and will take years to resolve completely.

But at least now with these bills, we are on the path.

Reporter: That crisis being a teacher shortage affecting nearly every school district in New Jersey.

Educators and experts turned out in overwhelming support for a package of bills that cleared the assembly education committee today aimed at reversing the shortage.

>> The bills we are introducing will seek to address individual issues by removing barriers, costs, adding resources.

Reporter: The committee chair explained many bills came from recommendations offered by a task force convened by Governor Murphy to attract and keep more teachers in the classroom.

>> Number one barrier is the cost of education.

So we are removing restrictions on transfer credits and establishing a tuition remission program for student educators.

When we look at the high cost of student teaching, our student teachers go off to the classrooms and don't get paid.

They still have to play -- pay tuition.

It's another issue to continu to address.

Reporter: Some say it can cost up to get certified and some wind up paying more when they have to retake the test, which happens too often.

>> Over and over, people are struggling to pass the practical skills program.

Most struggle with the math program which includes questions related to statistics and other advanced math contacts -- concepts.

Many individuals are seeking elementary school certification and cannot understand why they need to pass an exam with middle to high school level math concepts.

Reporter:Reporter: One bill would change the acquirement surround that exam and another would require teachers who already retired to come back to the classroom for two years without affecting their pensions.

Another would allow tax write offs for the expensive classroom supplies teachers make on their own.

That one raised concern of who might not be included.

>> Don't believe the definition right now, educator or paraprofessional, would include related services providers that speech language specialists are.

I'm hopeful we could see an amendment to the definition.

Reporter:Reporter: Others ask for broader efforts to attract and retain education professionals beyond classroom teachers.

>> This bill largely focuses on teachers, but there are many other positions in the school and school counselors, other roles we hope we will look at as well.

Reporter:Reporter: A similar concern introduced by the assembly speaker that would increase education time for students.

>> Students can't fully learn until they are whole.

You can throw remediation and tutoring all you want at them but if you don't focus on the emotional piece in concert with learning, it does not work well.

Reporter: The package now moves to a full assembly for a vote, in the committee is hopeful the bills can be signed into law before the end of the session in a few weeks.

In Trenton, I'm Joanna Gagis, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: In our spotlight on business, several Atlantic City casino hotels are being hit with a lawsuit, accused of taking part in a scheme to artificially inflate room rates.

A class action suit filed by consumers to stay named Hard Rock international, Caesars entertainment which also operates arrows and valleys, and MGM resorts, accusing the hotels of charging 25% more for rooms in 20 than in 2019 despite renting 5% fewer rooms overall.

It's a violation of the U.S. antitrust law according to the lawsuit.

Consumers allege the hotels used the online platform send -- C Cendyn to determine but did not use increased demand to determine rental cost.

They also say they were misrepresented about how room rates were set.

Turning to Wall Street, here's a look at today's closing trading numbers.

♪ Briana: And make sure you check out NJ Business Beat this weekend.

Raven Santana anchors and highlights the state's youngest entrepreneurs, including a 14-year-old fashion designer and a Newark organization that teaches students business through hands on art.

That is Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. on our YouTube channel.

♪ Briana: It is high praise for Newark this week.

The city is being recognized by former President Barack Obama as a national model for violence reduction.

It is one of just four cities nationwide to be designated as a My Brother's Keeper resident community.

It was formed by President Obama after the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida.

It challenged every community in the nation to come up with new strategies for violence, in part by focusing on support for boys and young men of color.

While new work -- Newark hit the mark, the mayor says it's a combination of data driven policing and community-based antivirus programs.

Newark is also working to combat the rise of drug-related deaths.

The city has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic, today rolling out a new harm reduction program focused on treating the person as a whole, and meeting residents where they are at.

Melissa Rose Cooper has the story.

>> 3, 2, 1.

[APPLAUSE] Reporter: With a snip of these scissors, the city of Newark welcomes a new initiative to treat substance use disorders and mental health.

>> Just another Testament of how really Newark is setting a tone and really moving forward, doing the things many places around are not doing.

Reporter: This mobile community care building -- vehicle, staff will offer a variety of services including health screenings and harm reduction assistance, all aimed at improving quality of life.

>> The recent>> surge in problematic substance use and drug related deaths across the state have shown us the traditional way of doing things is not good enough.

We have realized far too many people experience unique challenges that make it difficult for them to obtain help inside the traditional brick-and-mortar facilities.

Reporter: According to the state Attorney General's office, there were 668 suspected drug-related deaths statewide between January 1 and the end of March, with the most in Essex County.

Last year, there were nearly 2900 deaths in the state's inspected -- suspected to be drug-related.

>> We realize some of the biggest problems were people not being able to retain employment is drug issues, addiction.

As a child who grew up in a home of addiction, I'm sure that if my mother was here today standing before you, she would say to you that she would have loved to see a mobile vehicle enter communities that probably could have gotten her out of that addiction earlier in her life, to give her integrity back, to be the woman that she is today.

Reporter: Supporters of the mobile vehicle say it will help provide necessary services to people in the areas where it is needed the most.

>> The disease of addiction is a brain disorder.

It alters an area of the brain necessary for social functions and life-sustaining functions as well.

The reason why this van is important is that you are bringing services to individuals, particularly those who are expensing homelessness, and bringing them life-saving medication, you are connecting them to services and support.

In essence, what you're doing is not only saving lives, but you are changing lives through this service.

>> We know that meeting people where they are is best practice.

We know that there are many barriers to treatment, a lack of access to transportation, inconsistent housing, general stigma.

Bringing care directly to people where they needed will help meet our goal of improving access, improving equity, and leading to better treatment and recovery outcomes here in New Jersey.

Reporter: Integrity house plans to use data from the city as well as feedback from the community to map out the best areas the mobile van will service.

Staff say they hope what they are doing in Newark will help inspire other cities across the nation as they battle addiction as well.

For NJ Spotlight News, Melissa Rose Cooper.

Briana: That will do it for us tonight.

A reminder, you can now listen to NJ Spotlight News anytime via podcast.

Make sure you download it and check us out.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thank you for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We will see you tomorrow.

♪ Announcer: The members of the New Jersey education Association , making public schools great for every child.

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