Elderly woman says sickened from hospital mold

[Guest guest]

Long Island

Elderly woman says sickened from hospital mold

BY CURTIS L. TAYLOR

STAFF WRITER

Long Island,NY

December 1, 2005, 9:33 PM EST

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-

limold1202,0,1976601.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines

A 72-year-old former patient at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn says

she became sick after being placed in a room with " filthy mold "

following heart surgery earlier this year.

Kathleen said she was in a private third-floor room in April

at the hospital when she began to have serious difficulty breathing,

which she said was caused by mold.

" It was a disaster, " said during a recent telephone interview

from her Brookville home. " The room was dirty and smelled of mold

and mildew. "

Jeffery Hammond, a spokesman for the state Health Department, said

the state has opened an investigation into the allegation.

Barry, director of public affairs at St. Francis, said the

hospital was looking into the matter. He would not confirm or deny

whether was a patient at the hospital.

" We take matters of patient satisfaction seriously, " Barry

said. " Privacy laws restrict us from confirming or denying a patient

at the hospital. "

said after she complained to hospital officials about the air

quality, a respiratory therapist examined her but could not find

anything wrong.

" Finally, I just had to tell them to keep the window open so I could

breathe, " said. " I dozed off and woke up choking to death

because somebody had come and closed the window. "

said she looked forward to talking with state and hospital

officials about the conditions she endured.

" I got the runaround when I called before, " said. " Something

needs to be done. "

called Newsday after she said she didn't get a response from

the state Health Department.

In October, the state Health Department cited the hospital for

several minor code violations, stemming from water damage to ceiling

tiles in the intensive care unit.

That investigation was triggered by an anonymous letter by an

unidentified employee who feared the water-soaked ceiling tiles and

heat ventilation system would release " mold spores into the entire

hospital. "

The hospital was found to be clean and not contaminated with mold

spores, but the state investigator dispatched on Oct. 27 issued four

separate violations, all involving water-stain damage to the ceiling

in the intensive care unit.

Barry said previously that the problem was caused by leaks in the

hospital roof caused by heavy rains and all repairs had been made.

Staff writer Ridgely Ochs contributed to this story.