Healthcare Compliance Perspective – Respiratory Illnesses:
The Compliance Officer should review the facility’s policies and procedures regarding the protocol for handling of potential airborne and/or waterborne biological pathogens with the Infection Control Nurse and Environmental Services Director. All staff should be educated and trained regarding the facility’s protocol for containing biological pathogens and how to carry out their respective duties. An audit should be developed and implemented to survey the building 
and facilities to ensure that the advised preventative and corrective methods are in place.
Determining why residents in an Illinois nursing home are experiencing a rise in respiratory illnesses is the primary objective of county healthcare workers and the community’s leaders. Officials at the County Health Department where the facility is located are seeking guidance from the Illinois State Health Department (ISHD) in their efforts.
The public health administrator at the county health department reported that both the state and county health departments have suggested that the residents in the nursing home be tested to determine the biological pathogens causing the respiratory illnesses.
The two agencies have also suggested that the facility’s water should be tested, and they have offered some corrective suggestions to put into place until the results of the tests results are returned. Those test results are expected in the next few days.
The mayor of the town where the facility is located issued a statement saying the city’s water system had been tested and it was determined that the problem was not originating from the city’s water source. He also pointed out that two other nursing homes in the area were not experiencing an increase in respiratory illnesses among their residents.
There is concern that one of the pathogens might be legionella because of the age of the facility’s building and water pipes. So, while the facility’s water is being evaluated, the facility is observing the remediation suggestions that the two health departments suggested-they have stopped using their spa and are not using any water fountains or ice made from the facility’s water sources.
The county’s public health administrator made this comment about the possibility of the pathogen being legionella, “There’s no reason to suspect that, particularly at this point; but, we want to be careful and we don’t know what else it is at this point. We can’t find another causative agent.” She also pointed out the fact that elderly people are more susceptible to respiratory illnesses than other groups of people and reiterated that nothing can be confirmed until the results of the tests are known.
