Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.610cktb.com/news/local/story.aspx?ID=1444240

C-diff outbreak moves to Niagara Falls
Rod Mawhood, 610 CKTB News
6/17/2011

It appears the St. Catharines General isn't the only local hospital experiencing a C-difficile outbreak.

Eight patients at the GNGH - the Greater Niagara General Hospital - are being treated for the same superbug that has claimed eight lives at the St. Catharines General...


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Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3174101

GNGH not immune to C. difficile
By ALISON LANGLEY Niagara Falls Review
Updated 8 hours ago

Eight patients at the Greater Niagara General Hospital are being treated for the same superbug that has claimed nine lives at St. Catharines General Hospital.

The Niagara Falls hospital is urging visitors to comply with infection-control measures in order to prevent the spread of the disease...

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreak at the GNGH - the Greater Niagara General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreak at the GNGH - the Greater Niagara General Hospital

C. difficile outbreak at Niagara Falls hospital
Niagara Falls, Welland
By QMI Agency
Updated 44 seconds ago
C. difficile outbreaks have been declared at two more Niagara hospitals.

The Niagara Health System declared outbreaks at both Greater Niagara General Hospital in Niagara Falls and at Welland General Hospital late Thursday.

St. Catharines General Hospital has been on outbreak since May 28.

"There is no evidence to support that the outbreaks in Niagara Falls, Welland or St. Catharines are related," said Frank Demizio, vice-president of patient services for the NHS, in a press release.

...
http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3185275

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3187078

NHS confirms four C. difficile deaths at GNGH
Outbreak announced Thursday with 11 cases
By JOHN LAW, NIAGARA FALLS REVIEW
Updated 48 minutes ago

The number of confirmed cases of C. difficile at Greater Niagara General Hospital has risen to 11, with four deaths.

Another patient was diagnosed Friday after the Niagara Health System announced an outbreak at the hospital Thursday night with ten cases. An outbreak was also declared at Welland General Hospital with 11 cases, including one death.

There are currently 20 confirmed cases at St. Catharines General Hospital, where 10 people have died since an outbreak was declared May 28...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Source: http://www.610cktb.com/news/local/story.aspx?ID=1449873

Provincial team to help with C.difficile fight
Siobhan Morris, 610 CKTB News
6/28/2011

A provincial infection control team will be in the region Wednesday to help with three outbreaks of C.difficile.

Outbreaks were called at the Greater Niagara General and Welland General Hospitals last week. St. Catharines General Hospital has been battling an outbreak since May 28th.

It's the third time experts have been brought in to consult and provide support since the outbreak was declared at the St. Catharines General site, according to the Niagara Health System...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3193912

C. diff not the only outbreak at GNGH
Total C. diff cases up to 13 in Niagara Falls
By BRETT CLARKSON Niagara Falls Review
Updated 2 hours ago

C. difficile is not the only outbreak at Greater Niagara General Hospital right now.

The hospital also has an outbreak of VRE and more than two dozen cases of MRSA, said Frank Demizio, the Niagara Health System's vice-president of patient services.

But Demizio said none of those patients are displaying symptoms.

"What I can tell you is that these patients are in the hospitals for other reasons and they're not suffering any apparent ill-effects from the colonization," Demizio said...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3196010

Protest called as C. difficile cases rise to 14 in Falls
Those C. diff numbers don?t include four deaths, NHS says
By BRETT CLARKSON Niagara Falls Review
Updated 56 minutes ago

As the number of C. difficile cases increased to 14 at Greater Niagara General Hospital, a city councillor said he is planning a protest for next week to call attention to the "crisis" at the hospital.

Councillor Wayne Gates said the rally will happen outside GNGH next Wednesday at 3 p.m. and that the speakers will include Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, local MPP Kim Craitor, and provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath.

"There is a crisis in health care in the Niagara Region and we have to find a solution to the problem," Gates said. "We deserve better health care than what we're getting."

Gates said he is angry that the NHS did not notify the public about the deaths of four patients at GNGH who had acquired C. difficile until a week after the most recent death.

The deaths occurred between May 12 and June 16 but information was not released about them until June 23.

That apparent delay in public disclosure was "the breaking point," Gates said...

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Another patient with C. difficile dies in Welland
Greg Ross, 610 CKTB News
7/3/2011
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The total number of deaths in the region related to the latest outbreak of C. difficile has now risen to fifteen.

This after a second patient at the Welland Hospital has reportedly died after testing positive for the deadly disease.

Of the fifteen deaths related to C. difficile since the start of this outbreak, nine of them happened at the St. Catharines General hospital, four at the Greater Niagara General and now two in Welland.

The latest victim also had serious underlying health issues according to hospital staff.

The patient's death will now be reviewed to determine what role C. difficile played.

http://www.610cktb.com/news/local/story.aspx?ID=1451889

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Concerns about Niagara hospitals grow as C. difficile death toll reaches 16

Published 1 hour 22 minutes ago
Mark Brownlee The Canadian Press

TORONTO?A chorus of concern about the management of a number of hospitals in Ontario's Niagara region is growing amidst an outbreak of Clostridium difficile that?s been linked to the deaths of 16 patients.

The patients were being treated at three hospitals experiencing clusters of cases of the bacterial disease: four died at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, 10 at St. Catharines General Hospital and two at the Welland Hospital since the outbreak was declared May 28.

The three centres are run by the Niagara Health System, a network of seven hospitals serving 434,000 people around Niagara Falls and St. Catharines.

More...
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...row-as-c-difficile-death-toll-reaches-16?bn=1

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital and Welland General Hospital

Source: http://www.610cktb.com/news/local/story.aspx?ID=1452938

Niagara hospitals get top to bottom cleaning
NHS looks to bleach-based rescue gel to end C.difficile outbreaks
Siobhan Morris, 610 CKTB News
7/5/2011

Niagara's hospitals are about to get a serious scrub down.

The Niagara Health System is taking on a top to bottom cleaning of all their sites to try to end outbreaks of C.difficile in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls & Welland.

The NHS will use a stronger version of a bleach-based product they already clean with.

Interim President & CEO of the NHS Sue Matthews says the provincial team that visited last week told them about "Virox Sporicideal Rescue Gel".

The team recommended the cleanup & other measures Matthews says the system has already acted on--reaching out to other hospitals, having a consistent public voice & re-prioritizing cleaning.

As of Tuesday there are 43 C.difficile patients in isolation at the outbreak sites--20 in St. Catharines, 13 in Niagara Falls & 10 in Welland.

C.difficile has also been flagged in 3 patients at Port Colborne's hospital & 1 each in Fort Erie & Niagara-on-the-Lake.

16 C.difficile patients have died since the first outbreak was declared in St. Catharines...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3202180

Fourth hospital declared on C. difficile outbreak
Hotel Dieu Shaver
By Grant LaFleche, Standard Staff
Updated 48 minutes ago

The Niagara Public Health Department is trying to determine if the C. difficile outbreak in three area hospitals has spread to the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre.

Associate medical officer of health Dr. Jessica Hopkins said her office is doing "detective work" to determine if a C. difficile outbreak at the rehab centre is the result of infected patients being transferred there from Niagara Health System hospitals where outbreaks were previously declared.

"It's a possibility and it's something that we are looking closely at," she said. "But we cannot say that for certain at this point, and it is very important to understand that this is often not a black and white issue."

The rehab centre declared the outbreak Wednesday afternoon after consulting with the public health department. That makes it the fourth Niagara hospital to do so, along with St. Catharines General, Niagara Falls and Welland.

Four patients at the hospital ? all transferred from NHS hospitals in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Fort Erie ? have C. difficile.

The Fort Erie hospital is not in outbreak status...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/1040319--third-c-diff-patient-dies-at-welland-site

* Steve Henschel, staff
* Jul 07, 2011 - 5:10 PM
Third C. diff patient dies at Welland site
NHS brings in field epidemiologist to track outbreak

A field epidemiologist has been brought in to assist with the current C. difficile outbreaks at four Niagara Health System hospitals after a third person died in relation to the outbreak at the Welland Hospital Site late Wednesday afternoon.

The third death brings the total number of fatalities to 17 in the outbreaks declared at the St. Catharines General on May 28; the Greater Niagara General and Welland site on June 23 and the Hotel-Dieu Shaver on Wednesday. In total 67 cases of the infection have been confirmed since the outbreaks began...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news/article/1040277--c-diff-outbreak-at-hotel-dieu

* Mike Zettel, staff
* Jul 07, 2011 - 4:19 PM


C. diff outbreak at Hotel Dieu
Currently six patients with bacteria infection

Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre has become the latest hospital in the region to declare a C. difficile outbreak.

The St. Catharines hospital currently has six patients to test positive for the Clostridium difficile bacteria, which affects the intestines, causing diarhrhea.
Liz Pearson, manager of infection management and control, said four of the patients are associated with the outbreak. The first tested positive on June 21, while the other three tested positive within the next seven to 10 days.

The patients, aged 52-84, are in isolated rooms.

That cluster of four put the hospital above what is considered the baseline for the disease, a common infection in hospitals and long-term care homes. This resulted in the outbreak being declared...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.globaltvbc.com/Three+mor...fections+Ontario+hospitals/5073251/story.html

Three more deaths linked to C. difficile infections in Ontario hospitals
Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press: Friday, July 8, 2011 2:07 PM

...Two patients in St. Catharines and one in Niagara-on-the-Lake died Thursday night, Dr. Sue Matthews of the Niagara Health System said Friday in a conference call from Welland.

The hospital in Niagara-on-the-Lake has not declared an outbreak, she said.

Ten Ontario hospitals reported outbreaks earlier this week, but health officials Friday said it was down to eight...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...-toll-at-21-in-niagara-region/article2095403/

Another life claimed by C. difficile, death toll at 21 in Niagara region
Kim Mackrael
Globe and Mail Update
Published Tuesday, Jul. 12, 2011 10:01PM EDT
Last updated Wednesday, Jul. 13, 2011 5:27AM EDT

One more patient has died in connection with an outbreak of C. difficile in Niagara Health System hospitals, bringing the total number of deaths in that region to 21.

?This was an elderly patient with multiple health issues,? said Dr. Sue Matthews, interim chief executive officer of the health system. The patient died at the Welland site of the Niagara Health System...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3212536


Latest C. difficile infection involves hospital staffer
By Grant LaFleche, Standard Staff, QMI Agency
Updated 12 minutes ago

For the first time since Niagara C. difficile outbreaks were declared, an employee of the Niagara Health System has contracted the potentially lethal infection.

Ontario's Ministry of Labour contacted the NHS late Wednesday afternoon to inform them they were investigating the case, said Sue Matthews, interim health system CEO.

Matthews would not disclose any information about the employee including, gender, age, job or which hospital the staffer worked at.

"I can say this person has other risk factors," she said, referring to the person's health...

...Currently, the NHS is combating outbreaks at the St. Catharines General, Greater Niagara General and Welland hospitals and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre. So far, 22 C. difficile patients have died, 20 of them being outbreak patients. The other two acquired the infection elsewhere...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/15/ont-patient-with-c-difficile-dies-hospital-worker-infected

Ont. patient with C. difficile dies, hospital worker infected 0
Grant LaFleche, QMI Agency
First posted: Friday, July 15, 2011 7:20:05 EDT PM

ST. CATHARINES, ONT. - With another care provider infected and another C. difficile patient dead, Niagara Health System CEO Sue Matthews vowed to crack down on a "gap in knowledge" about infection control measures among hospital staff.

"The corporate expectation is that everyone participate (in infection control education sessions). Participation is mandatory," Matthews said during a news briefing Friday afternoon.

"Clearly there were gaps in knowledge and we are moving to close those immediately."

Matthews made the promise after she announced the death of another C. difficile patient. That raises the number of those who have died to 23 since the first Niagara outbreak was declared in St. Catharines on May 28.

The latest was a patient at the hospital in Welland.

Of the patient deaths, at least 20 were hospital-acquired cases, meaning they showed symptoms after being in the hospital for 72 hours or more. Two of the cases were patients who acquired the infection in the community.

Matthews did not immediately know if the latest patient to die had a hospital-acquired or community-acquired infection.

The NHS is also investigating the circumstances surrounding a caregiver at the Welland hospital who tested positive Friday for C. difficile. Matthews said the person has been off work sick since July 13. She did not know when the caregiver first showed symptoms.

During the briefing, Matthews reminded all NHS staff that if they show symptoms of C. difficile infection -- which includes severe diarrhea -- they must immediately report them to their manager or to the hospital's occupational health and safety committee.

Matthews said she was not saying the Welland caregiver did not report being ill in a proper fashion but that they were looking into the case. She also said the Ministry of Labour will be contacted as a matter of protocol.

A labour ministry inspector's report found that although the NHS had infection control education systems in place...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/07/17/ont-c-difficile.html

Ontario C. difficile outbreak linked to 24th death
The Canadian Press
Posted: Jul 17, 2011 4:27 PM ET
Last Updated: Jul 17, 2011 4:49 PM ET

Another death has been linked to C. difficile in Ontario as six hospitals in the province continue to battle outbreaks of the infection.

The Niagara Health System said an elderly patient with the illness died Saturday at a hospital in Welland, Ont., which has been battling an outbreak of the infectious bacteria.

The hospital said it is investigating the role the illness played in the death of the patient, who had multiple health issues.

There have been at least 24 deaths connected to C. difficile since outbreaks emerged at hospitals across the province in late May.

The Niagara region has 47 confirmed cases of C. difficile spread over six hospitals, including 19 cases at St. Catharines General, where public health officials declared the area's first outbreak on May 28. Four hospitals in the Niagara region, one in Guelph and one in Orangeville are still struggling to contain outbreaks of the bug...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.610cktb.com/news/local/story.aspx?ID=1461408

Hotel Dieu Shaver given clean bill of health
Tim Parent, 610 CKTB News
7/22/2011

The Hotel Dieu Shaver Health and Rehabilitation Centre says hard work, team work, dedication and determination has resulted in the facility being given the all clear for C.difficile...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3226818

Another C. diff death reported as Shaver outbreak ends
By Grant LaFleche, Standard Staff
Posted 2 hours ago

One C. difficile outbreak ended Friday, but in another the death toll rose again.

The Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre in St. Catharines said it was given the green light from the public health department to declare its outbreak over.

The rehab centre on Glendale Ave. declared an outbreak July 6 after four cases of hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile appeared. Like the Niagara Health System, the Dieu Shaver boosted cleaning measures and audits of staff hand washing practices.

Since the outbreak was declared, there were no new cases of C. difficile and no patient deaths.

Liz Pearson, the Dieu Shaver's manager of infection prevention, said the absence of new cases allowed the centre to end the outbreak.

She said one of the patients was transferred back to an NHS hospital, while the other three are free of C. difficile symptoms.

However, she said some practices ? such as hand-washing audits ? will remain in effect.

"Our (patients with VRE and MRSA infections) can still go to their therapy, but anyone with C. difficile will still be isolated," she said.

It was a very different story for the NHS Friday, where acting CEO Sue Matthews announced the 26th patient death since the first C. difficile outbreak was declared May 28. There are also outbreaks at the Niagara Falls and Welland hospitals.

Matthews said the patient acquired C. difficile in the community, the third time a person has died from a community-acquired infection.

The other 23 deaths all involved patients who acquired the infection in hospital...

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Ontario: C. diff outbreaks at the Greater Niagara General Hospital, Welland General Hospital and the Hotel Dieu Shaver rehabilitation centre

Source: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3229754

St. Catharines Standard, Niagara Region, Sun Media

C. diff direct cause of at least three deaths: NHS
By Grant LaFleche, Standard Staff
Posted 39 minutes ago

Nearly halfway through its review of C. difficile patient deaths, the Niagara Health System reported Monday the infection has killed at least three people.

Among the 12 reviews completed so far, in an another three cases the infection played a contributing role in the patients' deaths while in the remaining six C. difficile was ruled out as a cause of death.

"So what we are talking about is dehydration, renal failure, organ failure and sepsis (due to the C. difficile bacteria)," said NHS interim chief of staff Dr. Joanna Hope, in releasing the results of her review of a dozen of the 26 outbreak patient deaths since May 28.

She said because of the "small sample size" in the data she released Monday, she would not identify which hospital the patients were at. She did say the average age of the patients was 86, although she could not identified the patients because of privacy rules.

To date, 32 C. difficile patients have died. Twenty-six of those are classified by the NHS as having hospital-acquired infections. The other six acquired C. difficile elsewhere.

While Hope is still sorting through the remaining fatal cases to determine what role C. difficile played, an infection control expert consulting with the NHS said there might be some good news for the beleaguered hospital system...