Manalapan officials ask state to shut down mental health facility: 'No human being should have to live like that'

Michael L. Diamond | Asbury Park Press

Show Caption Hide Caption NJ tries to open access for mental health care Phil and Marilyn Perricone of Wall, who lost their son to alcoholism, talk about removing the stigma of mental health illness.

MANALAPAN — Manalapan Manor health care facility, beset by a raft of problems, including inoperable toilets, cockroach and bedbug infestations and poor supervision of its needy residents, should be shut down by the state, township officials told Gov. Phil Murphy in a letter.

The township officials said the residents, struggling with mental health issues, largely are left unsupervised. Their letter chronicled a litany of problems, including the deaths of six residents since 2012, including three struck by vehicles on nearby roads.

The letter, signed by Mayor Susan Cohen and four other officials, noted that residents are often seen panhandling motorists on Route 33 or customers at the nearby CVS and Wawa.

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"No human being should have to live like that," the officials wrote, referring to the facility's residents.

The facility on Route 33, previously known as Marianne Manor, houses about 50 residents. It is licensed as a residential health care facility by the state Department of Community Affairs.

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The request by officials sounded like a last ditch attempt to fix a problem that first caught their attention in 2013 and has only intensified.

From July 1 to Nov. 5 this year, the police department responded to 339 calls at Manalapan Manor, officials said, or nearly three a day.

Cohen in an interview said the center was sold to new owners in 2017, but the conditions remain dire.

"It was bad," she said. "And it's getting worse and worse and worse."

Property records show the property, built in 1960, was purchased from Marianne Manor LLC by Gayatri Rama of Manalapan Realty in December 2017 for $1.5 million.

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Cohen said she met with an official from the facility, but she hadn't seen any progress. A call to a phone number Cohen provided for him went to a voice mail that was full.

A person who answered the phone Friday at the facility said: "We're not answering any questions at this moment."

The letter to Murphy said the facility was unsafe. It noted:

Three residents had been killed by motor vehicles since 2014 as they walked along busy Route 33 to nearby retailers.

A resident was found dead in the facility in 2012 in part because of malnutrition.

A resident was found dead in 2016 due to heroin overdose.

A resident committed suicide in June.

Police also responded to 56 calls to Walgreens and 69 calls to Wawa — both a quarter-mile away — for issues created by Manalapan Manor residents, including disorderly persons, harassment and trespassing, the letter said.

The Walgreens now is closed.

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Cohen said the state has seemed paralyzed to address the problem. Assemblyman Robert Clifton, R-Monmouth, introduced a bill in 2015 to improve the inspection process of residential health care facilities, but it hasn't passed.

Officials from Murphy's office and the Department of Community Affairs said late Friday they would look into the issue, but they hadn't responded by deadline.

The letter to Murphy described a situation that was untenable. It said Manalapan Manor residents often spent their Social Security checks for housing, leaving no money to spend or save.

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Community residents have offered to help by donating clothing, games and food. But the manor continues to put a strain on the town's resources, officials said.

The letter said township representatives had met with DCA officials several times since 2013 to air their concerns, to no avail.

"The only options the Township believes is viable now is for this facility to be shut down. The deplorable conditions for the residents of Manalapan Manor and the safety of our residents is paramount," the letter stated.

Michael L. Diamond is a business writer who has covered the New Jersey health care industry for more than a decade. He can be reached at 732-643-4038; mdiamond@gannettnj.com; or on Twitter @mdiamondapp.