Dozens of 1199SEIU New York downstate staffers gathered at the Manhattan headquarters Aug. 21for an educational on Legionnaires’ disease. Staffers included officers, organizers, contract administrators, maintenance workers and members of the Union’s health funds.
The session took place just one day after NYC health officials had declared that the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak – the worst in the city’s history – was officially over. Beginning in July, the disease claimed 12 lives and sickened at least 120 people, all in the South Bronx.
“We need to continue to be pro-active,” Maria Castaneda, 1199SEIU secretary-treasurer, reminded staffers at the educational. She stressed that the interests of the patients, workers and community are intertwined.
Castaneda emphasized that it was important for staffers to be educated about the disease so that they could arm members with the tools they need to address the dangers of the disease. Most of the Legionnaires’ patients have been treated at hospitals at which 1199ers work.
The principle presenters at the class were Steve Schragg, SEIU health and safety coordinator, and Mark Caitlin, SEIU health and safety director. Schragg and Caitlin employed quizzes, films, power points and handouts to explain the history of Legionnaires’ disease, its causes, mode of transmission, symptoms and treatment.
They said that Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria. The means of exposure is breathing in mist or droplets called aerosols in the air that contains the bacteria.
Some 25,000 people in the U.S. develop the disease each year. Among those, some 8,000 to 18,000 are hospitalized, and 5-15 percent of those cases prove to be fatal. Those most susceptible are people with long-term medical conditions that weaken the immune system and seniors.
Also addressing the staffers was Ricky Wong, of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Wong described the recently passed NYC regulation of cooling towers. NYC officials earlier confirmed that they had traced the source of the outbreak to a contaminated cooling tower on top of the Opera House Hotel on East 149th Street.
Under the new regulations, Wong noted, cooling towers must be registered with the DOH. They also must be cleaned and inspected every three months. A qualified person must do the inspection, cleaning and disinfection. And owners are required to keep and maintain records of all inspections and tests.
Wong acknowledged that the healthcare disparities in the South Bronx contributed to the illnesses and deaths. The area is among the most polluted in the nation with alarmingly high rates of asthma, diabetes and other respiratory diseases.
Staffers left the session with plenty of material to share with their members and the resolve to remain vigilant for patients, members and communities.
The session took place just one day after NYC health officials had declared that the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak – the worst in the city’s history – was officially over. Beginning in July, the disease claimed 12 lives and sickened at least 120 people, all in the South Bronx.
“We need to continue to be pro-active,” Maria Castaneda, 1199SEIU secretary-treasurer, reminded staffers at the educational. She stressed that the interests of the patients, workers and community are intertwined.
Castaneda emphasized that it was important for staffers to be educated about the disease so that they could arm members with the tools they need to address the dangers of the disease. Most of the Legionnaires’ patients have been treated at hospitals at which 1199ers work.
The principle presenters at the class were Steve Schragg, SEIU health and safety coordinator, and Mark Caitlin, SEIU health and safety director. Schragg and Caitlin employed quizzes, films, power points and handouts to explain the history of Legionnaires’ disease, its causes, mode of transmission, symptoms and treatment.
They said that Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria. The means of exposure is breathing in mist or droplets called aerosols in the air that contains the bacteria.
Some 25,000 people in the U.S. develop the disease each year. Among those, some 8,000 to 18,000 are hospitalized, and 5-15 percent of those cases prove to be fatal. Those most susceptible are people with long-term medical conditions that weaken the immune system and seniors.
Also addressing the staffers was Ricky Wong, of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Wong described the recently passed NYC regulation of cooling towers. NYC officials earlier confirmed that they had traced the source of the outbreak to a contaminated cooling tower on top of the Opera House Hotel on East 149th Street.
Under the new regulations, Wong noted, cooling towers must be registered with the DOH. They also must be cleaned and inspected every three months. A qualified person must do the inspection, cleaning and disinfection. And owners are required to keep and maintain records of all inspections and tests.
Wong acknowledged that the healthcare disparities in the South Bronx contributed to the illnesses and deaths. The area is among the most polluted in the nation with alarmingly high rates of asthma, diabetes and other respiratory diseases.
Staffers left the session with plenty of material to share with their members and the resolve to remain vigilant for patients, members and communities.
