Tag:

Infection control

NJ Veterans Homes Where Pandemic Deaths Soared Violated Residents' Civil Rights, Feds Find NJ Veterans Homes Where Pandemic Deaths Soared Violated Residents' Civil Rights, Feds Find
NJ Veterans Homes Where Pandemic Deaths Soared Violated Residents' Civil Rights, Feds Find UPDATE: State-run veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park violated the civil rights of their residents during the COVID pandemic and must correct policies and procedures going forward, federal authorities said Thursday. COVID killed more than 200 residents and staff at New Jersey's veterans’ homes, which was among the highest in the entire country. The pandemic claimed a total of 103 residents at the Memorial Veterans Home in Edison and 89 at the Paramus Veterans Memorial Home, according to New Jersey's Department of Health. The state to this point has paid nearly $70 million to settle la…
Federal Inspection Finds More Issues At NJ Veteran's Home, Murphy Deploys Army To Help Federal Inspection Finds More Issues At NJ Veteran's Home, Murphy Deploys Army To Help
Federal Inspection Finds More Issues At NJ Veteran's Home, Murphy Deploys Army To Help An army of specialists were deployed by the Murphy administration to help combat health issues that riddle a New Jersey veteran's home. The "Mission Critical Team" members were deployed to the Menlo Park Veterans Memorial Home to "improve quality of care through mentoring, coaching, and sharing of operational and clinical best practices," the Murphy administration said in a release. The home is apparently "not in substantial compliance" and funding may be withheld for new admissions by the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unless gaps in infection control and resident care …
$6.2M Settlement Reached After Deadly Outbreak At NJ Nursing Home Kills 11, Sickens 35 $6.2M Settlement Reached After Deadly Outbreak At NJ Nursing Home Kills 11, Sickens 35
$6.2M Settlement Reached After Deadly Outbreak At NJ Nursing Home Kills 11, Sickens 35 A $6.2 million settlement was reached for 13 families including several who had children die due to a viral outbreak at a New Jersey healthcare facility in 2018. Thirty-five children were infected and 11 died of the adenovirus at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, accused in a wrongful death suit of failing to immediately notify families of the virus, NJ Advance Media reports. The home is accused of waiting too long to transfer the kids to the hospital -- even at families' requests. The healthcare center was fined $600,000 by the US Centers for Medicare and Medica…
COVID-19: Those Who Are Fully Vaccinated Can Skip Quarantines, CDC Says COVID-19: Those Who Are Fully Vaccinated Can Skip Quarantines, CDC Says
Covid-19: Those Who Are Fully Vaccinated Can Skip Quarantines, CDC Says The Centers for Disease Control & Prevent (CDC) has issued new guidance for those who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. With the federal government ramping up production of the vaccine, the CDC announced that “asymptomatic fully-vaccinated individuals” who receive both doses can skip quarantine, provided the second shot was more than two weeks prior. Health officials said that it takes at least two weeks to build full immunity after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. “Fully vaccinated persons who meet criteria will no longer be required to quarantine following an exposure to so…
COVID-19: NY Health Director Denies Undercount On Nursing Home Deaths After Scathing AG Report COVID-19: NY Health Director Denies Undercount On Nursing Home Deaths After Scathing AG Report
Covid-19: NY Health Director Denies Undercount On Nursing Home Deaths After Scathing AG Report New York Health Commissioner Howard Zucker is defending the state following Attorney General Letitia James’ newly released report that alleges COVID-19 deaths in the state's nursing homes were underreported by as much as 50 percent. The report found the state negligible for COVID-19-related deaths inside New York nursing homes that had previously gone unreported, which Zucker has denied in a lengthy statement released late on Thursday, Jan. 28, just hours after the report was released. Earlier story - COVID-19: NY AG Report Says Nursing Home Deaths May Have Been Undercounted By 50 Percent …
COVID-19: NY AG Report Says Nursing Home Deaths May Have Been Undercounted By 50 Percent COVID-19: NY AG Report Says Nursing Home Deaths May Have Been Undercounted By 50 Percent
Covid-19: NY AG Report Says Nursing Home Deaths May Have Been Undercounted By 50 Percent The New York State Department of Health may have undercounted the number of COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes by upwards of 50 percent, according to a new report from the Attorney General’s Office. New York AG Letitia James released the report on her office’s ongoing investigation into nursing homes’ responses ✎ EditSignto the pandemic that was critical of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Department of Health’s initial guidance to admit COVID-19 patients into nursing homes. The investigations also found that nursing homes’ lack of compliance with infection control protocols “put residents at incre…
Pregnancy And COVID-19: What You Need to Know Pregnancy And COVID-19: What You Need to Know
Pregnancy And Covid-19: What You Need to Know The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says women who are pregnant should be monitored more closely than the general population since they are known to be at risk of severe viral illness. Pregnant women experience immunologic and physiologic changes which make them more susceptible to complications from viral respiratory infections. If you are pregnant, you should take the following preventative actions: Avoid people who are sick or who have been exposed to the virus. Clean your hands often using soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. C…
NJ: Morris County Dentist Who Exposed Patients To Heart Infection Can Resume Practice This Year NJ: Morris County Dentist Who Exposed Patients To Heart Infection Can Resume Practice This Year
NJ: Morris County Dentist Who Exposed Patients To Heart Infection Can Resume Practice This Year A Morris County dentist who exposed more than a dozen patients to a heart infection that killed one of them agreed to a five-year license suspension and thousands of dollars in penalties, authorities said. Because the move includes time already in suspension, John Vecchione will be allowed to begin a probationary period on Aug. 31, provided he follows certain conditions and demonstrates his "fitness and competency to resume practice," Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Vecchione was temporarily suspended from practice in August 2016 amid allegations that he failed to mai…
Superbug Scare: 35K Die Annually From Drug-Resistant Infection, Number Sickened In Millions Superbug Scare: 35K Die Annually From Drug-Resistant Infection, Number Sickened In Millions
Superbug Scare: 35K Die Annually From Drug-Resistant Infection, Number Sickened In Millions “Superbugs” are killing thousands each year and sickening millions more, nearly twice as many as previously thought, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the report, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the U.S. each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. In addition, 223,900 cases of Clostridioides difficile occurred in 2017 and at least 12,800 people died. The CDC said that dedicated prevention and infection control efforts are ongoing nationwide to reduce the number of infections and deaths cau…
Norovirus Reported At Vassar Brothers Medical Center Norovirus Reported At Vassar Brothers Medical Center
Norovirus Reported At Vassar Brothers Medical Center A single case of norovirus has been confirmed at Vassar Brothers Medica Center in Poughkeepsie, but the center does not believe there is an "outbreak." "We had a suspected case of norovirus come in through our Emergency Department on Feb. 14, said John R. Nelson, Director of Public and Community Affairs for Health Quest. The center reported the case to the state Department of Health as they routinely do and sent it for testing to get confirmed, Nelson said. "It was confirmed as a norovirus this morning," he added. Symptoms of norovirus include nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and di…
Thousands Possibly Exposed To HIV, Hepatitis At Saddle Brook Surgery Center Thousands Possibly Exposed To HIV, Hepatitis At Saddle Brook Surgery Center
Thousands Possibly Exposed To HIV, Hepatitis At Saddle Brook Surgery Center In what the state health department is calling an "abundance of caution," a surgery center in Saddle Brook is urging thousands of people who underwent procedures at the facility between January and Sept. 7 to get tested for HIV and hepatitis. State health officials said more than 3,000 patients at HealthPlus Surgery Center may have been exposed to the bloodborne infections due to "deficiencies in infection control" involving the cleaning of instruments and injection of medications, ABC7 reports, citing the center's surgery administrator Betty McCabe.  The following letter was…
NWH Showcases Next Generation Of Healthcare Careers NWH Showcases Next Generation Of Healthcare Careers
NWH Showcases Next Generation Of Healthcare Careers High school students across Westchester County will have the chance to learn firsthand about careers in healthcare and medicine thanks to a unique workshop hosted by one of the area's premier care centers. On Wednesday, May 23, Northern Westchester Hospital and its staff will host its first annual Medical Career Day to expose high school students to the wide range of opportunities available in both clinical and non-clinical healthcare practices. The goal is for students to understand the value and growing number of careers in the field in the New York region and beyond. "Westchester Co…
Is There A 'Right' Way To Wash Your Hands? Is There A 'Right' Way To Wash Your Hands?
Is There A 'Right' Way To Wash Your Hands? During the height of cold and flu season, using warm soap and water to clean your hands is important to reduce the risk of infection. A seemingly mindless task, washing your hands actually requires a bit of attention to effectively avert contraction. According to Dr. Sheila Nolan, chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), the key is to make sure you create a good lather with the soap, wash all surfaces of the hands and then thoroughly rinse.  “I tell kids to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice b…