Health officials say they have not determined Lincoln Hospital to be the source of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak in the South Bronx that has killed three people, even though Legionella bacteria was discovered there—so the hunt continues for the outbreak's origin. NY1's Vivian Lee filed the following report.
Ask a worker at city-owned Lincoln Medical Center about the discovery of the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' Disease in a hospital cooling tower, and you get a lot of this:
"We're not allowed to share any information with press. Sorry," said one man.
"I can't do that," said another man." At Lincoln hospital, we're not supposed to."
That's after two closed-door town hall meetings for hospital workers since Thursday.
The first of the dozens of cases of Legionnaires' Disease across the South Bronx was reported on July 10 and that has some hospital patients worried.
"The tower has since been cleaned and disinfected," said the Health and Hospitals Corporation on Friday, which manages the hospital. "There is no risk inside the hospital and the bacteria found in the cooling tower has not been linked to the cluster of Legionnaire's disease cases in the Bronx."
Still, one hospital employee said she was not taking chances.
"We don't feel too safe, I'm not drinking the water right now," said the hospital employee.
That's even though the disease cannot be transmitted by drinking water. Other workers said they were satisfied by what they have been told by hospital managers.
"Presently no, I'm not worried," said another employee.
Officials stress that Legionnaires is only spread through breathing mist or a water droplet containing the bacteria. They also said they are investigating dozens more sites that might have caused the outbreak, focusing on the mist in cooling systems.