Gustav’s rain causes mold at hospital

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Gustav's rain causes mold at hospital

By Adam Koob (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat*

Published Friday, September 12, 2008

http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/news/2008/sep/12/gustavs-rain-causes-

mold-hospital/

NATCHEZ — While it's been over a week since Gustav passed over the

area, the staff at Natchez Regional Medical Center is still dealing

with the impact of the storm.

Regional's CEO said a combination of wind-driven

rains and a loss of electricity made for an ideal mold growth

environment.

As a result, the hospital's six operating rooms are currently closed.

said the operating rooms are adjacent to the hospital's

exterior walls and Gustav's rains soaked through the bricks and into

the area behind the drywall.

Since the hospital lost power, and was being run on a generator, the

air conditioning units could not be run at full capacity and

condensation built on the interior walls.

" It caused a mold plume, " said.

The hospital's Vice President of Medical Affairs, Dr. Ken Stubbs,

said the situation has been difficult.

" It's a hassle, " he said. " But the staff has handled it very well. "

Stubbs said as a result of the unusable rooms the hospital has

temporarily stopped all but emergency surgeries.

And to do that said the hospital has had to do some room

swapping.

said two rooms in the labor and delivery unit, for cesarean

sections, have been converted for general surgery and should be

ready today.

said the hospital still has the capability to do cesarean

sections.

In addition to the molded operating rooms, a roof leak drenched the

carpet on the fifth floor and it's now being replaced with vinyl

flooring.

said the new operating rooms should be fully functional by

next week and the new flooring should be installed around the same

time.

" We're moving quickly, " he said.

said the hospital has hired two crews to get the necessary

repairs made as quickly as possible.

And even thought the hospital is in the midst of its restructuring

period, has taken an optimistic outlook on the situation.

He said a tentative buyer would appreciate six newly renovated

surgery rooms and the re-flooring of the fifth floor was already

scheduled to be done.

" It essentially moved the project up by four weeks, " he said.

Right now the biggest unknown about the matter is the cost.

said the hospital has lost revenue from operations that

have been canceled plus the cost of the repairs, which is

hoping insurance will cover.

He estimated the cost of the work could be more than $100,000.