Gov. Phil Murphy has selected a new board chairwoman and a state-ordered infectious disease specialist has been hired at University Hospital, where the state continues to investigate an outbreak at the Newark facility's neonatal intensive care unit.
Tanya Freeman, a family law attorney who has served on the hospital's board of directors since 2014, was named its chairwoman Wednesday, according to Murphy's announcement.
Freeman will preside over a hospital that was already in the state's crosshairs before four infants developed a hospital-acquired infection caused by the Acinetobacter baumannii bacteria last month.
In July, Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal named a monitor to assess the state's only public hospital's financial stability and evaluate its safety practices after flunking a safety report card and making some management decisions the state found questionable.
On Oct. 1, an anonymous employee contacted the state health department to report the outbreak, including one child who died after she was relocated to another hospital. The cause of death is under investigation, the health department said.
Hiring a full-time infection control practitioner was one of the state's requirements after inspectors found "major infection control deficiencies," inside the unit, Elnahal said.
On Tuesday, the hospital named Joan Hebden, a nurse from the IPC Consulting Group in Baltimore, to work 36 hours a week observing infection control practices, according to a letter to hospital CEO John N. Kastanis approving the hire.
Freeman replaces Robert Johnson, dean of the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, whom Gov. Chris Christie appointed before he left in mid-January. Johnson replaced former Gov. Donald DiFrancesco, who resigned amid questions about the duties he gave his former assistant.
Murphy said he picked Freeman because of her "extensive background working for the best interests of children and families through her law practice and her community service."
Freeman is a partner in Weiner Law Group, LLP, in Parsippany and co-chair of its family law department. Freeman also spent fifteen years in banking and insurance directing operational audit teams for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Prudential Healthcare and Wells Fargo, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The West Orange resident has served on the boards for Salvation Army in Jersey City and the University of Phoenix, Jersey City Campus.
"I take great pride in my contributions to University Hospital and the communities it serves, and I am honored to continue my service as chair," she said. "I look forward to continuing to work with my fellow board members, medical practitioners, and community members to provide the best possible care to everyone who walks through our doors."
The outbreak at University Hospital is unrelated to the 26 confirmed cases of adenovirus in pediatric residents at the Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Haskell, where 10 children have died.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.