Mold closes delivery rooms

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Last modified Thursday, January 26, 2006 11:09 PM PST

Mold closes delivery rooms

Escondido,CA

By: DEIRDRE NEWMAN - Staff Writer

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/01/27/news/californian/21_11_351

_26_06.txt

MURRIETA ---- Three of the five delivery rooms at Rancho Springs

Medical Center have been temporarily closed due to possible mold

contamination resulting from water leaks, officials with Southwest

Healthcare System and the state Department of Health Services said

this week.

The rooms were shut down by hospital officials late Monday afternoon

after the leaks were discovered, said Fleege, a spokeswoman

for Southwest Healthcare.

The state health department also ordered the rooms shut Tuesday

after it received both an anonymous complaint and a call from

hospital administration, department spokeswomen Leah and

Norma Arceo said. The anonymous complaint was about possible mold

and that the two remaining delivery rooms at the hospital may not be

properly licensed, said.

The three rooms will not be able to be used for deliveries again

until both the Department of Health Services and the Office of

Statewide Health Planning and Development give their approval,

said.

Meanwhile, deliveries continued in the other two rooms as of

Wednesday, Fleege said. As the need arises, she added, mothers-to-be

are being sent to Inland Valley in Wildomar, which has five delivery

rooms. Both these hospitals are part of Southwest Healthcare. Fleege

said other hospitals in the area have also been notified that they

might be getting Rancho's deliveries as well.

The Department of Health Services started its investigation after

receiving the complaints Tuesday. Its staff is made up of nurses,

doctors and medical experts, Arceo said. Employees with the Office

of Statewide Health Planning and Development are presently working

with Rancho Springs to fix the problem, Arceo said.

Hospital officials stressed that it is not uncommon for mold to

appear in businesses and added that they took immediate steps both

to close the rooms that were affected and fix the problem.

According to the health department's Web site, mold spores can cause

allergic reactions, fungal infections and other health problems.

Most employees exposed to it will have no reaction, the Web site

states.

The health department is also investigating whether the two

remaining delivery rooms at the hospital are properly licensed. In

order to be licensed, the rooms have to have meet state and federal

standards on a variety of issues ranging from the size to lighting

to the equipment to nurse-patient ratios, said.

Fleege said all the labor and delivery beds at Rancho Springs are

licensed. In addition, she said she is optimistic that the closed

rooms will be able to be reopened by the middle of next week.

However, said these investigations can take anywhere from

several weeks to several months.

" Before the rooms are open, (Rancho Springs) has to meet all the air

quality standards to ensure there are no mold spores, " said.

The water causing the mold is splashing from the sinks in the three

closed delivery rooms, Fleege said. Hospital officials have hired a

company that specializes in containing and repairing water damage,

she added. A company approved by the Department of Health Services,

Western Environmental Services, will be taking air samplings to

check for mold, she said.

Contact staff writer Deirdre Newman at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2623, or

dnewman@... and to comment on this article, go to

www.californian.com.