The state psychiatric hospitals are essential for the mental health populations. However, certain job positions are not needed in person for the hospitals to function during this pandemic. There are too many staff that go home to their families and return to the hospital, exposing the patients and staff's family members. Hospital staff should be able to do more to protect the health of patients. Many residents are medically fragile and the spread of this infection puts patient lives at risk. This also adds to the strain on our local hospitals and medical resources. There is no need for full staffing at this time when we can rotate staff and slow infection rates.

The psychiatric state hospitals (TPH) should have a better system to decrease the number of potential COVID-19 cases. The job titles that can work from home during this pandemic are mental health counselors, art/music therapists, vocational rehabilitation counselors, substance abuse counselors, psychologist, social workers, and other staff where job duties are not needed in person at this time. These titles can work from home by doing tele-therapy, treatment meetings, notes and checking email. OR all or some staff should have alternative schedules. Staff should be able to work one or two times a week by alternating schedules on a need by need basis.  

Trenton Psychiatric hospital should have volunteers of staff to work overtime when HST's or Nurses are short staffed.  Having volunteers from every discipline to obtain over time would increase staff volunteers when the hospitals become infected.