Becker's Hospital Review

51 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Rhode Island physician deliberately exposed patients, staff to COVID-19, health director finds By Ayla Ellison R hode Island Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, ordered an emergency sus- pension of a physician's license after investigators determined he deliberately exposed clinic staff and pa- tients to COVID-19 and presented a danger to the public, according to a Jan. 15 Providence Journal report. Anthony Farina, MD, was suspended from practicing medi- cine Jan. 14 for an overall pattern of willful misconduct. His license is suspended until further order by the Rhode Island Department of Health or the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline, according to the report. The Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline moved to have Dr. Farina's license suspended after hearing witness testimony that he exposed patients and staff to COVID-19 after becoming symptomatic in Novem- ber 2020. Witnesses said the physician continued to see patients after testing positive for COVID-19, while wearing a mask that exposed his nose. Dr. Farina "continued to see patients while knowingly sick. He passed the virus to employees. I think this was the wrong thing to do," an unidentified staff member wrote. Dr. Farina has denied the allegations and said he will appeal the order. "I strongly deny the false allegations made by the Rhode Island Department of Health that I at any time threatened the health of my patients. As a doctor, my first responsibil- ity is to do no harm, and I take that oath extremely serious- ly," he said, according to the Journal. "I want to reassure all of my patients that I would never place them in harm. I am appealing RIDOH's suspension of my license and am confident I will be thoroughly cleared of these false and misleading allegations," he continued. n Michigan hospital allegedly source of Legionnaires' since 2008 By Gabrielle Masson M cLaren Flint (Mich.) Hospital was a source of Legionella bacteria for more than a decade, according to CDC documents obtained by ABC affiliate WJRT. e 47-page letter titled "Investigation of healthcare-associated Legionnaires' Disease" was sent to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and is dated December 2019. Jim Haveman, former state health di- rector, said he obtained the CDC letter aer attorneys tied to the Flint water criminal in- vestigation accidentally got a hold of it. Legionnaires' disease, caused by Legionella bac- teria, was an issue at the hospital from 2008 to 2019, according to the CDC letter cited in the Jan. 12 WJRT report. e agency repeatedly mentioned "a particular strain of Legionella identified in the McLaren Flint water system has been associated with disease for more than a decade." Cases occurred before the hospital switched its drinking water source to the Flint River in 2014. e state reported 90 cases of Legionnaires' disease during 2014 and 2015, two of which were fatal, and has said McLaren Flint Hospital was the source. "It is unfortunate that once again — on the eve of a significant legal event — former state officials and their allies have chosen to ma- nipulate the facts in [an] attempt to distract the public from the facts," a spokesperson for McLaren Flint wrote in a Jan. 13 email state- ment sent to Becker's. "McLaren Flint, like countless other Flint residents, businesses, and nonprofit orga- nizations, was significantly impacted by the far-reaching and damaging effects of the de- cision to transition the public water supply to the Flint River. Despite the selective sharing of information that has been publicly available for more than a year, there is clear and com- pelling evidence the Legionnaires' disease out- breaks in Flint were much broader than one single hospital building. As multiple experts in peer-reviewed studies have concluded, our city's water infrastructure — and many build- ings that depended on it to receive safe drink- ing water — had an ongoing problem with legionella that resulted from the decision to change the municipal water source. "To suggest that McLaren Flint has been a source of a particular strain of Legionella bac- teria associated with the disease for more than a decade is false and grossly misleading. Legionella is a naturally occurring bacteria commonly found in many older buildings with complex water systems. It has been found in the water systems of churches, universities, nursing homes and other buildings throughout our community. In fact, according to MDHHS' own data, 98.5 percent of Legionnaires' disease cases reported between 2016 and 2018 had no connection to any healthcare facility. "e fact remains that since the earliest days of the water crisis, McLaren Flint has done the right thing — transparently sharing in- formation with public health authorities and asking for their guidance as cases in our community grew. As a result of our intense clinical surveillance along with our work with the current administration at MDHHS, we maintain one of the most comprehensive water management plans in the state. In fact, during the last year while cases of Legion- naires' disease were detected throughout the county, our hospital recorded zero cases. "It is disappointing that our hospital is once again being forced to defend itself against this false and misleading narrative advanced by these individuals and their defenders as they prepare to face criminal charges, in some cases, for a second time." n

• Cover