Washington D.C. - Legionella Prevention and Costs of Legionnaires Outbreaks
Washington D.C. Historical Headlines Related to Legionella
March 1, 2023
Four patients at D.C.’s St. Elizabeth’s psychiatric hospital have reached a settlement with the city. These patients lived without water for 28 days and filed suit over their conditions. As part of the settlement, the city must rewrite its emergency protocols, including how it will evacuate patients to another hospital if something like this happens again. In late September 2019, the Department of Behavioral Health alerted the hospital’s 270 patients and 700 staff members that lab testing found pseudomonas and legionella bacteria in the water supply. Despite flushing the system with chlorine, it was tough to clear and as a result, the water didn’t come back on for 28 days. The complaint, filed in October 2019, detailed how the bacteria purging issue led to overflowing toilets, forced outdoor group showers and limited the serving of hot food. (Source)
February 23, 2023
St. Elizabeths Hospital and a group of patients have settled a lawsuit over the hospital’s mishandling of its October 2019 water crisis and inadequate safety procedures during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The settlement requires that the District-run psychiatric hospital update its emergency procedures to prevent situations like these from arising in the future and to better protect its patients — the majority of whom are Black residents.
Reported Settlements and Jury Awards
No information available at this time
State Cap on Jury Awards
No information available at this time
Groundwater Temperature Risk Level – Medium
Overall Liabliity and Risk for Washington D.C. – High
No, ASHRAE 188 is not part of the state code
Legionella and Water Management Plan Assistance
Need help? For Legionella consulting and services, Water Management Plans, Legionella Control Systems, and Legionella testing please contact us at Legionella Control Systems at 888-416-8626 or info@legionellacontrolsystems.com
