MCG Health unwilling to answer questions about mold

[Guest guest]

Issue #20.05 :: 08/27/2008 - 09/02/2008

MCG Health unwilling to answer questions about mold

BY _TOM GRANT_ (mailto:tom.grant@...)

AUGUSTA, GA - Metro Spirit spent two years trying to track down the problem

of mold at MCG Health. We made our first oral request for information in

early 2006, our first written request for records about mold complaints in

October 2006 and another more detailed request early in 2008.

We also asked hospital public relations and risk management staff about the

status of our request on repeated occasions.

MCG Health has also been reluctant to respond to questions about financial

issues, such as the pay of employees and the status of its for-profit

insurance company in the Cayman Islands. However, we believed this issue of

mold was

a public health concern, and that MCG Health would want to respond fully to

allay fears of employees and patients.

In two years, MCG Health has provided only one response to the Metro

Spirit. “Problem identified, problem solved.†No records have been

produced.

All public records requests were directed to go through Ann Marie Swindler,

the risk management officer for MCG Health. On July 20, Swindler said she had

sent some documents to the Metro Spirit. The following week, MCG Health

public relations officer Deborah Humphrey again said documents had been sent.

Those documents never arrived. We made repeated requests to see those

documents,

both verbally and in writing, but the documents were never produced.

During our effort to discover the extent of the MCG Health mold problem, we

have been told that MCG Health is not subject to open records law, a stance

contradicted by the hospital’s agreement with the Board of Regents. That

agreement specifically states that MCG Health must comply with state open

records

law.

As we have made inquiries through other channels, workers have said off the

record that they fear being fired if they speak to the press. E-mails

directly to responsible parties with MCG familiar with the problem have gone

unanswered.

As part of this and other disputes with MCG Health Inc. over coverage, our

newspaper’s distribution sites at MCG Health have been removed. At one point,

MCG Health refused to have any contact with the Metro Spirit, though it has

granted an interview on another subject in the past month.

To produce this story, Metro Spirit relied on documents obtained during a

lawsuit against MCG Health. That lawsuit began in October 2005 with a

grievance filed by a fired worker, Todd Brandenburg.

In his grievance, Brandenburg laid out serious concerns about mold and

mildew problems at MCG Health. He suggested mold was causing serious health

problems for patients.

Brandenburg has an ongoing lawsuit against MCG Health to obtain documents

under state open records laws. At one point in his lawsuits, MCG Health turned

over a box full of some of the documents he requested. He believes MCG Health

has still not turned over all the documents responsive to his requests.

As part of this story, we are posting a number of the supporting documents

at metrospirit.com, including _13 years of sick building complaints_

(http://metrospirit.com/index.php?cat=11012307083605539 & ShowArticle_ID=110024080\

80464453

) about facilities at MCG and MCG Health.

**************It's only a deal if it's where you want to go. Find your travel

deal here.

(http://information.travel.aol.com/deals?ncid=aoltrv00050000000047)