The New Jersey Department of Health is calling for major infection control improvements at the state's long-term care facilities in the wake of a fatal adenovirus outbreak, reports NJTV News.
The health department issued a report June 6 calling for all long-term facilities that care for patients on a ventilator to establish an infection control plan. The report also outlines various infection control recommendations, such as the creation of protocols to quickly separate sick and healthy patients if an outbreak occurs.
The report comes about eight months after an adenovirus outbreak at Wanaque (N.J.) Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation. Thirty-six patients contracted adenovirus, many of whom were on ventilators. Eleven patients died.
In February, CMS released a federal report in February that blamed the center's leadership for not responding fast enough to the outbreak. Wanaque Center refuted the report's claims, calling it "fundamentally inaccurate," according to NJTV News.