Mold infests Mental Health: Director: Emergency funds won't solve all problems

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Mold infests Mental Health: Director: Emergency funds won't solve all

problems

By Connor • Pacific Daily News • February 12, 2009

Pacific Daily News - Hagåtña,GU,USA

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20090212/NEWS01/902120301/1002

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Emergency funds won't solve all problems

By Connor • Pacific Daily News • February 12, 2009

Mold blooming on the walls and air ducts is one of the problems to

be fixed at the island's mental health agency now that a state of

emergency has been declared there.

Buzz up! Mold blooming on the walls and air ducts is one of the

problems to be fixed at the island's mental health agency now that a

state of emergency has been declared there.

Last week Gov. Felix Camacho certified a state of emergency at the

Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, giving the agency

$250,000 in federal funds, as well as leeway to bypass the normal

government procurement process.

In addition to the mold, the agency plans to fix broken air

conditioners that have left about half the building uncooled, and an

inoperable fire sprinkler system on one of its floors, officials said.

The building has been battling structural problems since it was

damaged in Supertyphoon Pongsona, which hit the island in late 2002,

Director Shimizu said.

Shimizu has been on the job about a month, and this week said that

fixing the facility is one of his priorities. " This is a hospital and

it's 24/7, " he said. " It must be immaculate and clean, as far as I'm

concerned. "

Agency officials must appear at a status hearing today to discuss a

federal court order to improve the way it serves people with mental

disabilities. The agency's " dilapidated structure " was noted as one

of the things needed to be fixed, according to Pacific Daily News

files.

Areas closed off

The areas and ducts where mold is growing have been closed off,

Shimizu said.

Henry T. San Agustin, department maintenance supervisor, said the

mold started to spread when two of the building's three air-

conditioning units broke down about a year ago.

The agency lacked a permanent director at the time of the breakdown.

Leitheiser, then acting director, could not be reached for

comment Wednesday.

San Agustin said he has done what he can to combat the mold, but it

continues to grow with the air conditioning broken.

The first floor of the building and about half the second floor, all

of which are primarily employee work spaces, lack air conditioning,

said B. Cepeda, the department's safety officer.

The department has three maintenance workers and a housekeeper, who

are responsible for the main facility and four group homes, Shimizu

said. The annual budget for maintenance supplies is about $80,000,

San Agustin said.

Mold is a natural part of the environment and is usually not a health

concern, according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control. It can cause hay-fever-like allergic symptoms, such as nasal

stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, and skin irritation. People

with chronic respiratory disease or reduced immune function are more

at risk.

There have been rare cases of people being severely affected by

toxins produced by mold, but the type of mold that produces these

toxins are less common, according to the CDC fact sheet.

Shimizu said he didn't know if the mold at Mental Health had been

tested to determine its type. The CDC said it generally is not

necessary to test for type -- " all molds should be treated the same

with respect to potential health risks and removal, " the fact sheet

said.

'Problem solving'

Shimizu said he realizes the emergency funds won't be enough to fix

all the agency's problems.

San Agustin said he requested $300,000 for the air-conditioning

repairs and mold cleanup.

" I'm taking a bite-sized approach to problem solving, " Shimizu

said. " It's about prioritizing the most needed ones and then

proceeding. "

Another problem at the Tamuning facility, Cepeda said, is a faulty

sprinkler system on the third floor, where the adult inpatient unit

and day program are housed. He said an evacuation plan is in place

for emergencies.

" The work environment is such that it fails to meet the acceptable

standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's

standards, " Shimizu said in his request for the emergency declaration.

The agency also is moving its Guma' Hinemlo program to a new facility

because of conditions at the Mangilao group home, Shimizu said. In

his letter, Shimizu said the group home has suffered from sewage,

maintenance and other problems for years. Shimizu said Tuesday the

agency was " very close " to finding a new location for the group home,

which serves seven clients.