Reflections on Legionellosis and the Sweet-Science

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Beleaguered Grady Memorial Hospital in the News

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko; MBA, CMP™dr-david-marcinko14

The economically dreadful status of Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation [GMHC], here in Atlanta Georgia, is well known to those in the industry. We personally wish its new CEO, Michael A. Young, of the hospital’s recently privatized BOD much professional success. As the region’s only level-two trauma center – an important public service is provided to us all.

Current Development at GMHC

And now, tests of water samples from varied hospital locations at GMHC have focused a Legionella Pneumonia investigation on upper parts of Water Tower A.

Link: http://www.ajc.com/gwinnett/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2009/02/12/legionnaires_disease_grady.html

As originally suspected, the water source on units 11-A and 12-A tested positive for Legionella bacteria, and were treated with hot water [284 degrees] and heated hyper-chlorination, as inpatients centered on the 11th and 12th floors were temporarily unable use their shower facilities as a precaution.

Link: http://www.gradyhealthsystem.org/lpneu.asp

First Anecdote

I initially learned of Legionnaires’ disease while a medical student at Temple University, in Philadelphia. The community paranoia and patient deaths surprised us all back then, as well as the ultimate general simplicity of treatment with the antibiotic erythromycin. In fact, two incidents quickly come to mind as this story unfolds.

First, I returned to the same hotel about a decade after the incident while serving on the residency selection committee for a local hospital. I was astonished to learn how few of our interviewees knew about the condition; not medically of course, but its rich history in the very same hotel accommodations where we stayed. While having dinner one evening in the hotel’s restaurant, I met former heavy weight boxing champion, Smok’in Joe Frazier, who invited me to his table for a drink. Even he recalled the original Legionnaire’s incident, and hotel venue, just as he regaled me with his nascent training escapades at the Center City Athletic Association on North Broad Street. I regaled him in-turn, with stories of my own dad, an amateur fly-weight Baltimore City boxing champion circa 1945; and stories of my services as boxing-ring physician’s assistant at the old Philadelphia Spectrum. He was a gracious and charming champion, indeed. My dad was thrilled when I recounted this story.

About Legionnaires‘ Disease

Legionnaires’ disease got its name in 1976, when an outbreak occurred in the Bellevue-Stratford, a land-mark Philadelphia hotel during an American Legion convention. Pneumonia-like symptoms include fever, chills, cough, muscle aches and headaches. Chest X-rays, and other tests can be done on sputum, as well as blood or urine to find evidence of the bacteria. The bacteria grows best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, saunas, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems, or parts of the air-conditioning systems of large buildings. Transmission is through mist or vapor-like steam from sources not been properly cleaned and disinfected. The bacteria are not spread from one person to another person. Outbreaks occur when two or more people become ill in the same place at about the same time, such as patients in hospitals. Hospital buildings have complex water systems and many people in hospitals already immune compromised and have illnesses that increase their risk for Legionella infection. Other outbreaks have been linked to aerosol sources in the community, on cruise ships etc, with the most likely sources being whirlpool spas, cooling towers and water used for drinking and bathing.

Unfortunately, Legionnaires’ disease can be very serious and can cause death in up to 5% to 30% of cases. Most cases are successfully treated with antibiotics and healthy folks usually recover from infection. Current antibiotic treatments are with quinolones and macrolides. Those used most frequently are levofloxacin and azithromycin. Macrolides are used in all age groups while tetracyclines are prescribed for children above the age of 12, and quinolones above the age of 18. These antibiotics are effective because they have excellent intracellular penetration and Legionella infects cells.

Second Anecdote

The second incident that comes to mind is my recollection of Dr. Leonard Bachman, the former Pennsylvania Commonwealth Health Secretary at the time of the first Legionaire’s crisis, thirty-three years ago. Dr. Bachman is a former Commanding Officer of the US Public Health Service’s Disaster Response Team, Director of Health Services for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Director of the Public Health Service. During his long and distinguished career, he assisted with the establishment of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), coordinated the original investigation into the initial outbreak of Legionnaire’s Disease in Philadelphia, and was responsible for the medical response to Hurricane Andrew. Today, although semi-retired, Dr. Bachman provides consultancy services to the US Marshall Service and numerous other organizations. So, imagine how shocked I was to see him interviewed on TV a few weeks ago! Now, at Emory University, his advice and experience was again sought during the current GMHC incident. What a blast from the past!

Assessment

GMHC is a downtown Atlanta public facility with 950 beds. It normally sees about 2-3 cases of Legionaiire’s disease each year.

Proper antibiotic use: http://www.tufts.edu/med/apua/mrsa/mrsa.html

Conclusion

And so, your thoughts and comments on this Medical Executive-Post are appreciated. Please opine on GMHC, the sweet-science, or related topics of interest. Is this outbreak, for example, related to the Peanut Corporation of America salmonella outbreak in Blakely, GA, in any systemic way? Or, does this state simply lack governmental oversight in multiple areas?

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com  or Bio: www.stpub.com/pubs/authors/MARCINKO.htm

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A Review of Elder Housing Protections

Posted on February 17, 2009 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Home Equity Resources, Housing and Care Options

Staff Reportersinsurance-book2

According to Stephanie Edelstein JD; Charles P. Sabatino JD and Nancy M. Coleman MSW MA; opining in the ElderLaw Series, until relatively recently most people in this country followed a rather typical housing pattern in their later years. They either rented or owned their homes and lived alone until they were no longer physically or economically able to manage independently, at which time they moved in with family members or into nursing homes or board-and-care homes.

Elderly Housing

Housing, particularly rental housing, provided the proverbial bricks and mortar, and, with the exception of a few facilities that offered meals and some light housekeeping, little opportunity existed for older persons to receive services in their homes. Elderly tenants who were perceived by a landlord or housing manager as unable to manage on their own were evicted, frequently without due process protections, and just as frequently would end up in a nursing home. While disabled tenants in federally assisted housing programs were accorded protections against discrimination on the basis of disability, no such protections existed for residents of private housing. Few members of the legal, healthcare or aging communities, and even fewer among the elderly, were aware of those protections that did exist.

Emerging Changes

Much has changed during the last few years, in large part due to the increasing emphasis on retaining autonomy, the trend towards aging in place, and the passage of civil rights statutes, which have raised public awareness of the legal rights of persons with disabilities.

For example, for frail or disabled older persons, including medical professionals, protection against discrimination in housing can be found in three federal statutes: [1] the Americans with Disabilities Act, [2] the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the [3] Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. Of the three, only the Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) is targeted exclusively to housing and within the housing area is arguably the most far-reaching.

Rehabilitation Act

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (the antidiscrimination provisions of which are commonly referred to as §504) is a general civil rights statute that prohibits discrimination against any “otherwise qualified individual with handicaps” in a wide variety of programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance, including housing.  

FHAA

The scope of the FHAA, as it applies to housing is broader, and it covers virtually any housing activity or transaction, including both private and subsidized, apartments and single family dwellings, and prohibits discrimination against all individuals with handicaps, even if the discrimination cannot be attributed directly to the disability.

ADA

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which is having a profound effect on all elements of society, can be seen as complementing the other statutes. The ADA extends to all state and local programs the protections of §504, and also prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in public accommodations.

Disability Defined

All three statutes use virtually the same definition of “handicap” or “disability.” Protection is extended to persons with a “physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities,” such as performing manual tasks, personal care, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, etc. The definition includes persons “having a record of such an impairment”, whether or not the impairment still exists; and a person “regarded” as having such an impairment,” whether or not the perception is accurate. While age alone does not equate with disability, the symptoms and conditions of the aging process are likely to cause impairments that meet these definitions.

Addition Exempted

“Handicap” or “disability” does not include current illegal use of or addiction to a “controlled substance.” Moreover, none of the statutes require a housing provider to make housing available to an individual “whose presence would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals or whose tenancy would result in substantial physical damage to the property of others.”

Legal Purposes

The intent of these laws is to provide persons with disabilities access to and enjoyment of housing and services to the same degree as if they were not disabled. They apply from point of application throughout the tenancy. Housing providers may not maintain separate admissions standards for people who are frail or disabled, nor may they inquire about an applicant’s health or ability to live independently, unless those questions are to establish eligibility for particular programs or services.

For example, the decision to lease to a particular individual must be based on program eligibility (if appropriate) and the ability of the applicant to comply with the terms of the lease, whether independently, with the assistance of a third party, or as a result of a reasonable accommodation by the provider. A prospective property owner may not require an older person to have a “sponsor,” or “guarantor,” a practice common to many senior housing programs.

Assessment

In recent years, courts have found the following policies to be discriminatory: requiring residents who must use walkers or wheelchairs to transfer to regular chairs when eating in the common dining room; failing to provide accessible parking spaces for disabled tenants; and refusing to modify a “no pet” rule for tenants with disabilities who need guide dogs or service animals.

Link: www.HealthDictionarySeries.com

Conclusion

And so, your thoughts and comments on this Medical Executive-Post are appreciated.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com  or Bio: www.stpub.com/pubs/authors/MARCINKO.htm

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