Rep. Bill Pascrell discharged from hospital after nearly four-week stay

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) has been discharged from the hospital on Thursday after a nearly-four week stay.

“Today, Congressman Pascrell was discharged from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center,” Pascrell chief of staff Ben Rich said in a statement via Politico. “He is grateful to the doctors and nurses who have provided him outstanding care and he will continue with rehab as part of his recovery.”

Pascrell, the second-oldest member of the House of Representatives, checked himself into the hospital on July 14 after he had a fever. His condition was diagnosed as a respiratory infection. The 87-year-old’s staff told the New Jersey Monitor in late July that Pascrell faced a “setback” and required “breathing assistance” but that his doctors remained hopeful for a complete recovery.

The congressman, who has served in the House since 1997, had been briefly hospitalized once before in 2020 after he visited the hospital for nausea and heartburn. Doctors discovered he had blockage in his arteries and the congressman had to have a heart bypass surgery.

Pascrell’s release from the hospital follows a string of health-related problems inflicted on members of Congress this term. Most recently, longtime Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX) died on July 19, just one month after announcing that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ) died in late April after suffering a “cardiac episode” on April 6 that kept him on a ventilator in the intensive care unit at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Over the recent years, the six-term progressive congressman had suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure, and kidney problems that required regular dialysis.

Other members have been diagnosed with cancer or tumors. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) announced he was diagnosed with blood cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC) had a successful surgery for a skull tumor in May.

Pascrell is seeking reelection this fall. He defeated a strong Democratic challenger who targeted the congressman for ignoring Arab American constituents due to the war between Israel and Hamas. He will face GOP challenger Bill Prempeh, whom Pascrell has defeated twice before. If he wins in November, Pascrell will be the oldest member of the House, as Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA), 87, is retiring after this year.