What to Know
- A federal report blames an NJ long-term care facility's leadership for worsening a viral outbreak that killed 11 children last year
- The report says the pediatric medical director of the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation didn't know how many kids were infected
- No new cases have been reported at the center since Nov. 12 but the state still bars new admissions to its pediatric ventilator unit
A newspaper reports that federal authorities have imposed a $600,000 fine on a New Jersey nursing home following a viral outbreak that killed 11 children.
The North Jersey Record reports that the penalty stems from state and federal inspections at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation during last fall's outbreak.
The inspections cited conditions posing "immediate jeopardy" to children dependent on ventilators and other pediatric and elderly residents. A letter from Lauren Reinertsen of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the convictions existed from Oct. 9 to Nov. 16. Officials said the center is now in compliance, although it can't admit pediatric ventilator patients pending state approval of an infection-control plan.
The center strongly disputes a federal report on the outbreak and is appealing.
