Threat Of Legionella Still A Possibility At St. Joseph's

In a statement released on Saturday, St. Joe's Hospital officials in Syracuse made the public aware of a possible threat of Legionella bacteria in it's water supply. These warnings were precautionary, however being taken very seriously. Legionella is a bacteria known to cause pneumonia.

Due to the threat, the hospital placed a water restriction on certain areas of the hospital, limiting usage to only hand washing. One of the areas that has already been cleared is the Emergency Services Dept. In a statement released on Monday, usage of water by patients was now allowed in this part of their campus however,

As a further precaution, St. Joseph’s will be installing specially engineered filters to the faucets located in patient care areas. The filters are designed to filter out possible contaminants including legionella bacteria and will allow us to return to regular water use in patient care areas. Arriving Monday, installation is expected to be complete Tuesday evening.

Water restrictions are still in effect for other areas of the hospital and bottled water and clean ice are being delivered to these areas of the hospital. Although this is mostly precautionary, St. Joseph's is taking every precaution necessary to ensure the health and safety of their patients.

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