(10/03/19) - Legionella bacteria, which can cause Legionnaires' disease, was found in water samples of a Genesee County Nursing home.
One of two mid-Michigan nursing home patients infected with Legionella bacteria has died. Health officials are still trying to pinpoint the cause, whether or not it was Legionnaires' disease or another illness.
The discovery was made at the Heartland Health Care Center - Fostrian skilled nursing center.
Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia, so the symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pains, fever, and confusion.
The nursing home is cooperating with the Genesee County Health Department, hyper-chlorinating the water system in the facility. All 104 residents are using bottled water until testing results return next week.
People associated with the nursing home are frustrated with delayed communication.
Lisa Wenn says her father doesn't drink bottled water, so she knew something was strange when she saw it in her father's room in the nursing home.
That was on Monday. On Thursday, HCR ManorCare spokeswoman, Julie Beckert says every resident will receive a formal letter explaining the situation.
After waiting for days for an explanation, Wenn says that's simply unacceptable.
"The minute you find out something like that, I would think the first response is, 'Let's get as many safety precautions in place,' which would mean letting the residents know, letting the families know that this is happening, so that they can do whatever precautions are necessary to keep everybody safe," Wenn said.
One resident was just discharged from the nursing home yesterday after an extended stay, he says he's still concerned.
"I wanted to go somewhere and heal. I didn't want to go somewhere that I might now be in more danger than I was when I went there," Tracy Tedhams said.
The Genesee County Health Department says don't let the worst case scenario scare you right away.
"Most people don't develop Legionnaires' disease or develop symptoms when they're exposed to the bacteria. Legionelle bacteria is naturally occurring in water and in the environment," John McKellar said. McKellar is a Health Officer for the Genesee County Health Department.
He added, "The people that tend to develop complications are those that tend to have other medical conditions. They tend to be older."
The Genesee County Drain Commissioner's Office released a joint statement with the City of Flushing, saying it was within the health care facility itself.
The Genesee County Health Department says legionella can grow in large buildings with complicated water systems like cruise ships or health-care facilities, but it's a matter of managing the water, so it doesn't grow to a point where it can cause an infection.
The Health Department shared some advice for those who think they could be impacted.
"If you're not experiencing any symptoms, try not to be concerned. Our further advice would be if you do develop any of the symptoms that I've described, and you have had recent stay in any of these larger facilities with complicated water systems, let your healthcare provider know." McKellar said.
The Health Department says they're still investigating as they can't say at this point if Legionnaires' disease was the cause the person's or if it was fully associated with the nursing home since they weren't there the entire time they were ill.
We'll have more details as this story continues to develop.