CONSEQUENCES

New Jersey Nursing Home Where 11 Children Died from Virus Outbreak Fined $600,000

The Wanaque nursing home is appealing the federal penalty.

The New Jersey nursing home where 11 children died during an adenovirus outbreak in fall 2018 has been hit with a $600,000 federal fine, according to Northjersey.com. The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation’s lapses in infection control and hand-washing presented an “immediate jeopardy” to the home’s 53 ventilator-dependent kids, as well as to the other 150 elderly and pediatric residents, state and federal inspectors said. These alleged lapses, as well as poor administrative oversight, “directly contributed” to the center’s inability to prevent and stop the outbreak, inspectors reportedly said. Lauren Reinertsen, of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ regional office, reportedly said in a letter that these conditions were present from Oct. 9, when the center learned that one of its patients had died from adenovirus, to Nov. 16. The center, which is “now in compliance” with state and federal regulators, is appealing the report’s findings, claiming “their conclusions are so wrong and so damaging,” per Northjersey.com.

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