By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

Bacteria can be found just about anywhere, but in healthcare facilities they can easily proliferate. This makes controlling the spread of the bacteria challenging as vulnerable patients and staff can get infected. 

Recently, Legionella bacteria cropped up at Cabell Huntington Hospital.  

According to WSAZ, the bacteria was found in a “limited area” at the facility on September 29. The hospital contacted the Cabell-Huntington Health Department and the WV Bureau of Public Health, where they performed environmental assessments on the facility as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. As a result of the assessments, enhanced filtration was added to the shower heads and sink faucets as preventative measures. The hospital itself remains fully operational. 

The New York State Department of Health states Legionella bacteria can be found naturally in the environment, most of the time in water. It proliferates in warm water, such as the kind found in cooling towers, hot water tanks and large plumbing systems. This can pose a serious problem for healthcare facilities if their water heaters and plumbing systems are not properly maintained.  

For water heaters, Amy Turner, director of marketing at Intellihot, suggests swapping out tank-style water heaters for tankless ones for these three reasons:   

• Stagnant, stored water presents the ideal conditions for bacteria to thrive in. It also speeds up the accumulation of impurities like sediments and biofilm which hastens contamination. Reducing or eliminating these impurities is key to reducing Legionella risks.  
• Tankless units maintain a consistent output water temperature without any additional controls in place, eliminating mechanical points of failure found in mixing valves. Such consistency eliminates the need to stratify water. Water stratification results in pockets of attractive temperatures for Legionella. Creating temperatures that are inhospitable to Legionella is key to mitigating its risk.  
• Finally, tankless units use advanced flow control, which keeps the water moving rather than storing it in stagnant tanks. Legionella cannot thrive in moving water. 

As for plumbing, Portland Water District recommends cleaning showerheads and faucet aerators at least four times a year to prevent Legionella growth. In addition, they also say that if there are high risk occupants, then showerheads and faucet aerators should be cleaned more often if there is buildup of slimy film or minerals. Lastly, water filters should be replaced according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.  

Jeff Wardon, Jr. is the assistant editor for the facilities market.