| North Jersey Pediatric and Adult Nursing and Wellness Center | |
| Coordinates: | 41.0143°N -74.2984°W |
| Location: | 1433 Ringwood Ave, Haskell |
| State: | New Jersey |
| Country: | United States |
| Type: | For-profit |
The Phoenix Center for Rehabilitation and Pediatrics is a long-term care center and nursing home in Haskell, New Jersey.[1] It is a for-profit center that provides treatment to children who are medically fragile or are receiving palliative care. As of October 2018, it had 92 pediatric long-term care beds[2] and 135 for elderly residents, also operating as a long-term nursing home and a rehabilitation center.[3] In July 2019, it was sold and renamed the North Jersey Pediatric and Adult Nursing and Wellness Center.
In late 2018, a severe adenovirus outbreak at the facility received international attention.[4] [5] Ultimately, 11 children died[6] and 36 residents and one staff member were diagnosed in "one of the nation's deadliest long-term-care outbreaks."
In 2014 it was purchased by Eugene Ehrenfeld and Daniel Bruckstein[7] of Continuum Healthcare LLC.[8] In December 2018, Eugene Ehrenfeld and David Bruckstein continued to own the facility. Wanaque Center, in July 2019, was renamed the North Jersey Pediatric and Adult Nursing and Wellness Center.[9] It had been sold to new owners and was awaiting approval from the state for the transfer of its license.[10]
Main topic: 2018 United States adenovirus outbreakThe 2018 United States adenovirus outbreak began at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.[11]
The head of the New Jersey Department of Health was notified on October 19, when five children had died.[12]
A hearing was held by the state Senate Health Committee on the Wanaque outbreak on December 3, 2018. Wanaque Center failed to send a representative, saying that it was protecting patient privacy and that the hearing was not the appropriate place to discuss the outbreak.[12] Senator Richard Codey suggested that the Senate subpoena the Wanaque Center owners to attend if they refused in the future.[13] At the hearing, the NJ health department head announced that state health policy had been changed as a result of the outbreak, requiring the health commissioner to be notified immediately when outbreaks result in the deaths of children.[12]
On March 2, 2019, Wanaque Center was fined $600,000 by the federal government based on state and federal inspections.[14] Wanaque Center attorneys said they would contest the findings.[15] On March 29, 2019, it was reported that the center could resume admitting pediatric ventilator patients after the state ban lifted.[16] At the time, Senator Codey was calling for a criminal probe into the center, arguing the facility should not be operating.[17]
In spring 2019, another respiratory virus outbreak, hMPV, infected three staff members and three patients at Wanaque. Wanaque followed new protocols, with no deaths.[18]
In direct response to the Wanaque outbreak, on June 6, 2019, a New Jersey health department report called for a new law requiring long-term care facilities to develop disease outbreak plans.[19] [20] [21] [22] A new bill based on the report was signed by the governor in August 2019,[23] after passing both houses of state legislature late June 2019.[9] At the time the bill was signed, Wanague remained under state and federal investigation for how it handled the outbreak.[24]
By February 28, 2019, the center still had 92 beds for children and 135 for elderly residents.[25] In June 2019, it was one of 11 New Jersey nursing homes flagged by federal inspectors for persistently unsafe conditions by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.[26]