CFN ? Cornwall Community Hospital reacted quickly to a mould issue that had evolved in the critical care unit of the hospital.
Hospital officials sent us the following in response to queries CFN made to the hospital after we had several emails and calls.
1. Why is?the Critical?CareUnit(CCU)being temporarily?relocated?
The?CCU?has been temporarily relocated because we have received a report from our consultants indicating that there is mould growth on the interior of the Air Handling Unit(AHU) which supplies the air to the CCU.
2. When?was this report?received?and ?why?was the?inspection?completed?
Staff in?the?area reported a?musty?smell within the?CCU, maintenance?staff?conducted?an investigation?on?May9th and?based on?their findings?an?environmental consultant?was?retained to?complete?a?review.
The?consultant?s?report?was?receivedonMay13thand?a?decision?to relocate?the unit?was?made?and?communicated on?that day. ?The?CCU was relocated on?May16.
3. What were?the?findings?and?recommendations?of the?consultant?
The?consultant found?mould?growth?on?the insulation?within?the?air?handling?units?that service the Critical?Care?Unit. ?These?findings are?not?expected?to?pose?a health?risk;however, given that our patients are?already?sickwith decreased immune?systems?the?following?recommendations were?made:
?Turn?off?the ?AHU?supplying?the?CCU ? completed
?Notify?infection?control and?joint?health?and?safety?completed
?Relocate?the?patients ?completed
?Work?with?engineers to:
o Identify?all areas?serviced by the?AHU?completed
o Determine?if the?AHU needs replacement?in?process
o Determine?how?to?repair the?AHU to eliminate?the?opportunity?for moisture build up?and?mould?re occurrence?in?process
4. When?was this?Air?Handling?Unit?installed?and?why was this?not?addressed?last?year?when?we relocated?the?unit?to?install?new windows? What?caused?this?issue?
This AHU was installed?in 1989?at?the?same?time?as?the?JMP?was constructed. ?The?unit was not in?need?of?replacement?when the?area?was?recently?renovated nor?was?there?an?issue with mould?at?that?time.
The?cause of?this issue is?yet?to?be?determined. This information?will be?communicated?as?we learn more?following?a?thorough?inspection?and?report?by?our engineering?consultants.
5. What?are?the?next steps?and?what?is the?timing?
Our?consulting?engineers will be on?site?Tuesday?May21st?to?begin?their investigation.?They?will provide?us with a report?and?recommendations?on?how?we?manage?this?issue. ?From?these recommendations?we?will?prepare?a plan?to resolve?the?issue?and?prepare?a?timeline?for the work to?be?completed.
We?will?be?communicating?the details?of?the?work required as?well?as a?timeline?for completion.
6. Is there?any?risk?to my?health?And?what?should?I?do if I?have?concerns?
From?all the?information?available we?do?not?expect?any?health risk?to?our staff?or patients, however,if?you?have?concerns we?encourage?you?to?contact Nancy?Ann?Bush,Manager, Infection?Prevention?and?Control?at?3344(patient related)or Stephen Harley,Occupational Health and?Safety?Coordinator at?4244(staff related).
We?also?encourage?you?to?contact?your?own primary?care?physician?if you?have specific?health concerns.
7. I?have?heard?that?there?has?been?an?aircomfort?issue?in?the CCU for?a very?long?time,is that true?
The?question?of air quality?in?the?CCU?has been brought?to our?attention?in the past. In fact?there was?an?engineer?s report?prepared February11,2013?recommending?that?the?size of?the?duct work?be?expanded to?provide?for?additional fresh air to the?space. ?A strategy was being developed to?complete this?construction.?This?would?likely?involve?a?temporary move?strategy
as well. ?The?mould?issue was not?identified at?that?time(February?2013).
What do you think Cornwall? ?You can post your comments below.
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