Becker's Hospital Review

54 CMO / CARE DELIVERY OSHA investigates suburban Atlanta hospital after nurse's death By Anuja Vaidya T he Occupational Safety and Health Ad- ministration is investigating the death of a nurse who worked at Stockbridge, Ga.-based Piedmont Henry Hospital and may have contracted COVID-19 while caring for patients, according to a report by e Atlanta Journal-Constitution. e investigation is looking into allegations of an unsafe work environment at the hospital that may have exposed the nurse to COVID-19. OSHA did not release any details about the investigation, but a hospital spokesperson told Becker's via email that the nurse was "a travel- ing nurse employed by a staffing agency, [and] she may have worked at numerous healthcare facilities, including Piedmont Henry." ere is an unconfirmed report that the nurse had been tested for the new coronavirus. "We are not aware of whether a test for COVID was taken, nor are we aware of the results," the hospital spokesperson said. "Regardless of the circumstances, we are deeply saddened for the friends and families … during this difficult time," the spokesper- son said. e hospital said its supply of personal protec- tive equipment has remained stable through the pandemic. OSHA told the Journal-Constitution in April that it has received more than 2,680 com- plaints about workplace safety issues re- lated to the COVID-19 pandemic. e in- vestigation at Piedmont Henry Hospital is one among dozens of complaints involving healthcare worker deaths. According to workplace safety experts, most healthcare worker-related complaints involve a failure on the part of employ- ers to provide adequate protective gear, the Journal-Constitution reported. n Michael Dowling on COVID-19's resurgence: It's 'foolish' to assume prevention efforts will work perfectly By Mackenzie Bean C OVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are falling in New York City, giv- ing hard-hit hospitals time to reflect on their processes and solidify plans for a potential resurgence this fall, Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling told The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Dowling said hospital leaders in the area have been in constant com- munication with each other about a second wave of infections. While lead- ers are hopeful that prevention measures like social distancing will keep the pandemic at bay, "it would be foolish to assume that all the prevention would work perfectly," Mr. Dowling told WSJ. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Northwell is leaving medical tents set up out- side some of its hospitals through the fall in case patient volumes increase, according to Mr. Dowling. The system will also rely heavily on telemedicine and allow up to 20,000 nonclinical employees to continue working from home, which both proved successful during the pandemic's peak. Mr. Dowling said health systems still need to eliminate care disparities among minority populations and work on sourcing more personal protec- tive equipment domestically. n Seattle Children's closes ORs after another mold discovery By Gabrielle Masson S eattle Children's Hospital closed some of its operating rooms after again detecting mold, detailed in a May 12 self-report to the state De- partment of Health, according to The Seattle Times. There are no known infections connected to the newest mold discovery. The problem was described as "low-levels" of Aspergillus attributed to a venti- lation system issue, according to health department spokesperson Jessica Baggett. In contrast, Seattle Children's did not identify the new mold as Aspergil- lus, the hospital said May 18, according to The Seattle Times. The mold was found in some of the hospital's operating rooms and an equipment storage room. "Daily testing has not detected any Aspergillus fumigatus spores, which is the species of Aspergillus associated with our previously confirmed" infections, hospital spokesperson Katherine Porada wrote in an email to The Seattle Times. Multiple operating rooms will be closed for several weeks for evaluation, which will include input from engineering experts, Ms. Porada said. Since 2005, Seattle Children's Hospital has faced sporadic mold outbreaks, with seven patient deaths tied to mold infections at the facility. Most recent- ly, the parents of a hospitalized infant filed a lawsuit against the hospital April 14, claiming negligence after their son's heart was infected with mold at the hospital, according to The Seattle Times. During the past year, the hos- pital has installed a new air-handling unit and put high-efficiency particulate air filters in its 14 operating rooms. n

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