SOUTH JERSEY

Shakeup rattles Ancora

Kim Mulford
@CP_KimMulford

WINSLOW – Three top administrators at Ancora Psychiatric Hospital were reassigned Monday, and the hospital's Medicaid certification is under review, employees learned during a surprise "town hall" meeting held at the facility.

The news was delivered by Lynn Kovich, assistant commissioner of the NJ Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Courier-Post has learned.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:What went wrong at Ancora?

Acting Commissioner Beth Connolly named Christopher Morrison as acting CEO. Morrison was formerly the deputy CEO at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital, where he worked for 16 years, according to Nicole Brossoie, a spokeswoman for the NJ Department of Human Services.

"Mr. Morrison will be working with staff to enhance and advance the hospital's procedures and protocols related to operations and patient care," Brossoie said in an e-mailed statement.

"The state's psychiatric hospitals are inspected annually by CMS," added Brossoie. "It's not uncommon for plans of correction to be required. DHS and Ancora staffs are working closely with CMS in this regard."

Anita Jackson, president of Communication Workers of America, Local 1040, confirmed the change in leadership and said an inspection revealed deficiencies that need to be corrected.

"Everybody was shocked," Jackson said. "I wasn't informed until (Monday)."

Additionally, employees were told they will learn within the next week if the facility has lost its Medicaid certification.

"They assured us (Monday) it's not going to close," Jackson added. "Employees have been working very hard to keep it from closing. We've got to keep up the good work."

Ancora is a 600-bed adult in-patient facility five miles outside Hammonton. It primarily serves patients from South Jersey.

Kim Mulford: (856) 486-2448; kmulford@courierpostonline.com