[ad_1]
Following a scathing report by federal inspectors released last month on the failures that resulted in the deaths of 11 children at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation following a deadly viral epidemic, the Attorney General of the US State is invited to open a criminal investigation. in the institution in difficulty.
Senator Richard Codey, D-Essex, said the center "had no idea how to handle the situation," was waiting too long before acting and was to be held responsible.
"A suffering child should be enough to require action, but it took many lives before facility leaders took it seriously," he wrote in a letter to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, calling for criminal investigation to determine who was responsible.
The other three legislators, Senator Gerald Cardinale, Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi and MP Robert Auth, all members of R-Bergen, also asked the Attorney General's office to investigate the case.
A spokeswoman for the Wanaque Center did not comment immediately. The Attorney General's Office did not respond to a request for comment, but has already indicated that it does not confirm or deny an investigation.
In his letter, Codey noted that the Wanaque Center cared for extremely vulnerable children facing serious health problems and betrayed the trust of their parents.
"If a tragedy like this had been shot at otherwise healthy young people from a posh city, I think it would have been a very different story," he said. he declared.
In its February report, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services severely criticized an institution ill-prepared to respond to the rapid spread of a deadly strain of adenovirus that was invading its pediatric services. According to the report, the center was supervised by a medical director who was barely on site and was suffering from poor infection control measures. The 118-page survey on the state of disabilities published by CMS also reported delays in seeking treatment for sick children, which has resulted in significant complications medical conditions and inadequate administrative supervision.
4 children had died before the doctor realized that there was a seizure, according to a scathing report
Eleven children died at the Wanaque Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Haskell.
The medical director, Maged Ghaly, had told investigators that he had never been clearly informed of his responsibilities.
"I did not understand what medical director meant," he told federal inspectors. "I have been here for eleven years.I was one of the pediatricians and I am now the only one left to me.They all bailed on me.When they asked me to be the medical director, I agreed .. Nobody gave me a job description and I signed the contract. "
The center was fined $ 600,000 for a litany of violations. Wanaque Center lawyers say they dispute the results.
At the same time, the New Jersey Department of Health is expected to release its own findings in a report on events later this year when there were questions about the response of the long-term care home. in pediatric care when children started to die.
State Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, chair of the committee on health, human services and seniors, who has already held a legislative hearing on the outbreak in Wanaque, pledged changes, both regulatory and legislative. Codey is a member of the committee, where he expressed his anger that the owners of the facility did not appear and refused to answer questions.
According to state health officials, the first children to have contracted an adenovirus at the Wanaque Center were diagnosed on 26 September. In a few weeks, 36 had contracted a viral infection. A staff member was also diagnosed but recovered.
The adenovirus includes a number of strains of respiratory viruses that can cause mild or severe disease. But many of the Wanaque Center's children were considered medically fragile – some respirators helping to breathe better – and particularly vulnerable to infection.
A cause of the outbreak remains to be determined, although Wanaque has been repeatedly cited for deficiencies in hand washing and infection control even after the outbreak, according to reports. state and federal inspection. The adenovirus virus is transmitted by respiratory droplets or by contact.
The health department this week has finally lifted its ban on admitting new patients to the Pediatric Ventilation Unit at the Wanaque Center in place since the beginning of the epidemic.
Codey, in his letter to the Attorney General, stated that what had particularly bothered him was the allegations of workers who spoke with NJ Advance Media and accused the administrators of delaying the sending of mail. 39 children at the hospital to ensure that Medicaid funds are not lost.
"Serious allegations have been made about treating critically ill young and vulnerable patients who need further investigation," Codey said in a letter to Grewal. "In particular, it is worth looking more closely at whether the children were not transferred to acute care hospitals, because the nursing center wanted to continue receiving the Medicaid reimbursements that would have been lost with empty beds. "
He added that the workers indicated that the facility, managed by Continuum Healthcare, was short of staff to save money.
In interviews with people working in the Wanaque center, as well as members of their families, many people complained about the chronic shortage of staff in this facility, which has only done so much. aggravate after its sale in 2014. Two pediatric workers who asked not to be identified Remuneration told reporters that the lack of adequate help on the pediatric floor often meant that children were wearing soiled diapers or were systematically left without care.
"Protecting profits on patients' health is extremely disruptive," said Codey. "The Nursing and Rehabilitation Center appears to have failed in its mission of providing compassionate care to children with difficult health problems, if these claims are true. Setting up a grand jury with the power of summons should reveal the truth. "
Ted Sherman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @ TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
Get the latest updates directly in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com newsletters.
[ad_2]
Source link