Do you think lack of education is the main problem?
Do you think the hospital should be penalized for this incident and why?
Must address topic
Discussion question with a minimum of 250 words and 1 reference, not older than 5 years.
This is the web page you need to access to get the article i need to discuss.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/health/pittsburgh-mold-death-lawsuit/index.html
A third wrongful death lawsuit was filed Tuesday in connection to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
mold outbreak.
found in the linens at two University of Pittsburgh Medical Center hospitals, according to a report.
The newly filed wrongful death lawsuit alleges that a third UPMC hospital, Shadyside Hospital, is a part of the
outbreak. Paris Companies was contracted to provide linens for all three of the hospitals.
A previous internal report by the hospital system suggested that the five deaths were linked to a mold outbreak
due to contaminated linens at UPMC Presbyterian and Montefiore hospitals. The report conducted in May of
last year did not become public, however, until January 2017 when it was submitted as evidence by lawyers for
UPMC in two previously filed wrongful death lawsuits against the hospital system.
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The latest death, 65-year-old John Haines, died October 7, days after contracting a rhizopus-positive
pneumonia infection, according to a Pennsylvania Department of Health death certificate.
Haines, a leukemia patient, was receiving chemotherapy at Shadyside Hospital, and was moved into the
intensive care unit three days before his death. Within 24 hours of his stay in the ICU, he contracted the fungal
infection, according to medical records.
Haines received a letter from Shadyside Hospital personnel the same day he died acknowledging that he had
developed an infection during his stay at the hospital. In the letter from a patient safety officer, the hospital
recommended Haines reach out to UPMC’s Infection Prevention and Control Department.
The civil complaint filed with the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas alleges that Haines contracted the
rhizopus infection due to contact with the Paris Companies linens provided him in the intensive care unit.
Haines died five months after UPMC officials were notified of an outbreak in their hospitals by an independent
researcher contracted to test facilities where five other patients died of infection-related causes. Hospital
environmental specialist Andrew Streifel also found rampant mold at the contracted Paris Companies’ laundry
facility, according to the report.
The hospital system continues to contract its linens from Paris Healthcare Linens, according to spokeswoman
Allison Hydzik.
Paris Linens maintains that the linens were not the cause of the outbreak.
“Paris Companies consistently meets or exceeds accreditation standards and regulatory guidelines for
laundering linens, which demonstrates our ongoing commitment to quality and safety. We continue to
cooperate with all regulatory agencies involved in the oversight of linen processing,” Paris Companies CEO
Dave Stern said in a statement to CNN