Monmouth County Freeholders added garden centers to the list of open restaurants, breweries, wineries and other small businesses, as part of its Take Out in Monmouth initiative.
By Allison Perrine
MONMOUTH COUNTY – Garden centers, mental health hotlines and voter registration deadlines were all topics of conversation during the freeholders’ press conference last Thursday, highlighting the county’s latest efforts to support its businesses and residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
The freeholders also gave updates on efforts launched earlier in the month, including the “Take Out in Monmouth” initiative to let residents know what restaurants and small businesses are open in their towns. Organized by municipality, there is a link to each restaurant’s website with its hours of operation. According to Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone, the site has had over 21,000 views since it launched, over 10,500 of which were people continually returning to the site and using it as a resource.
“Our Take Out In Monmouth has really thrived,” said Arnone. Each week, the county has added new businesses to the list. It started with restaurants. Later, breweries and wineries were added to the list. Most recently, the county added garden centers to the site, Arnone said. Over 30 garden centers have been added so far, all of which are practicing social distancing and are offering pickup and delivery options for customers.
“We’re asking people to go outdoors, stay outside, pick little projects around the house. Let’s go out there. Let’s go to our garden centers, which are businesses that need to flourish,” said Arnone. “These are things that we can put together out there and enhance our business climate and the beautification, and also the social distancing and making people mentally feel better.”
Additionally, the county announced the opening of a mental health hotline which launched Monday. The project is a collaboration among the freeholders, Monmouth ACTS and the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Monmouth County. The hotline is currently staffed by 55 volunteer health care psychology professionals, said Sue Kiley, freeholder deputy director. The hotline is meant for anyone who feels they need help getting through this crisis, including emergency personnel.
“The people that are probably under the most stress right now are our health care workers, our first aiders, our law enforcement officers. This line is open to you, too, so please don’t lose sight of the fact that your mental health is every bit as important as your physical health,” said Kiley.
People who call the hotline at 732-845-2070 will reach someone from the Monmouth County Health Department. From there, operators will ask a few questions to figure out where to appropriately direct the call. Lines are staffed daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Anyone who would like to volunteer their time to answer these calls is encouraged to do so.
The county is also encouraging people to take nurse’s aide training online to help others during this crisis. With Gov. Phil Murphy’s Executive Orders 103 and 119, the rules to become a nurse’s aide have been softened. Now, anyone interested can take an eight-hour course online and then must take a test. If they pass the test, they will be eligible to become nurse’s aides. The training is available through the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living at educate.ahcanal.org.
“These people are desperately needed in our facilities,” said Kiley. “You will be able to work and be paid in a time when most people a lot of people – are looking for jobs, and you’ll be making a tremendous contribution to the staffing and care of our nursing home patients.”
To continually support senior residents, potentially the most vulnerable population that can catching the virus, the county is offering early morning transportation to grocery stores during designated senior shopping hours. Through the county division of transportation’s SCAT program, these seniors can be picked up and dropped off at essential stores and retail shops before other community members are able to shop. The transportation can also take seniors to chemotherapy, radiation and dialysis appointments, if necessary, said Arnone.
Seniors are also encouraged to take advantage of the COVID-19 Community Resource Guide available on monmouthacts.org/covid19. Established by the county’s Office on Aging in cooperation with its 53 municipalities, the guide provides a range of information on contacts for food deliveries, pharmacies, caregiver support, financial assistance and more,said Kiley. It will be continually updated.
As social distancing regulations remain in place, Gov. Phil Murphy recently postponed the date for the state primary election. Originally scheduled for June 2, primaries will now be held July 7, which impacts voting for the U.S. President, U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as county and municipal elections.
Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon said that based on the new election date of July 7, the new voter registration deadline has been moved to June 16. The deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot is now June 30. Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact MonmouthCountyVotes.com or call 732-431-7790.
This article originally appeared in the April 23rd, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
