CODEY SEEKS CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INTO DEATH OF CHILDREN AT WANAQUE CENTER FOR NURSING AND REHABILITATION 

LIVINGSTON – State Senator Richard J. Codey today asked New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to launch a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading to the death of 11 children last fall at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. 

“The facility, as admitted to by their so called “Medical Director,” had no idea how to deal with this situation, and waited far too long to get help for these kids.” Senator Codey stated in his request.  “One suffering child should be enough to demand action, but it took the loss of numerous lives before the facility’s leadership took this seriously.”  

“This facility cared for extremely vulnerable kids with serious medical challenges and betrayed the trust of their parents, who struggled to do the best they could for their children,” Codey added.  “If a tragedy like this had befallen otherwise healthy young people from an upscale town, I believe it would have unfolded much differently.” 

However, Codey said the most disturbing reports were those that cited unidentified workers who charged that administrators delayed sending kids to the hospital to make sure that Medicaid funds were not lost.  Pediatric nursing homes receive $519 per patient per day. The reimbursement stops when a patient is transferred. 

“Serious allegations have been raised into the treatment of critically-ill young and vulnerable patients that demand further scrutiny,” Codey said in a letter to Grewal.  “In particular, a closer look needs to be taken to determine whether children were not transferred to acute care hospitals because the nursing center wanted to continue to receive Medicaid reimbursements that would have been lost with empty beds.” 

In addition, the workers said the facility, which is managed by Continuum Healthcare, was understaffed to save money.  “Protecting profits over patient health is deeply disturbing,” Codey said. “The nursing and rehabilitation center appears to have failed in its mission to provide compassionate care for children with difficult health issues, if these allegations are true.  Empaneling a grand jury with subpoena power should unveil the truth.” 

Codey, a former Governor and State Senate President, noted numerous news reports detailing the death of 11 children at the Wanaque Center from an adenovirus outbreak last fall.  The children who were patients at the center all had serious health issues that made them particularly vulnerable to the virus. The children, many of them on ventilators, had life-long disabilities. The first diagnosis of the virus was in September. 

A federal report issued last month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on a five-day inspection in November, cited the lack of an infection control plan and poor leadership by administrators in responding to the outbreak as contributing factors to the viral outbreak in the Passaic County nursing home. The report said in part that there was a failure to develop “action plans” to monitor the outbreak, which, in turn, meant a delay in containing the virus’s spread. The rehab center was fined $600,000 by the federal government. The center has disputed the federal report’s findings. 

“Heart-broken families who lost loved ones deserve as thorough an investigation as possible.” Codey said. “If those charged with caring for their children failed to meet their responsibilities, they should be held accountable.” 

Families of six children who died or became ill because of the virus have filed a civil suit against the Wanaque Center and the center’s medical director for failing to provide proper care.