Long-term care options limited for kids after NJ adenovirus outbreak

Harrison Cook -

The adenovirus outbreak in Wanaque (N.J.) Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation has left the facility unable to to accept long-term care patients, according to northjersey.com.

Four things to know:

1. The Wanaque Center's patient ban may be lifted this week if there are no new adenovirus cases. However, the facility does not have enough beds available for long-term care systems for new patients.

"There were, among other things, too few places for folks who have this particular requirement to go," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told newjersey.com. "We need a full-bore investigation of [the outbreak], and we are pursuing that.

2. Wanaque is one of four New Jersey facilities licensed to care for patients that are ventilator-dependent. Parents of the children at the facility who survived the adenovirus outbreak have tried to move  their children elsewhere but face waiting lists with a yearlong wait.

3. It took the Wanaque Center six weeks to separate pediatric patients with adenovirus from asymptomatic residents. During that time, 35 children became ill and 11 died.

4. New Jersey has 283 spots for children needing specialized long-term nursing care in total. The Wanaque Center has 92 beds for children while the Voorhees Township, N.J.-based Voorhees Pediatric Center has 119 beds. Both are not accepting new patients.

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