Niagara protesters accuse hospital of mishandling outbreak
July 6, 2011
Wendy Gillis
STAFF REPORTER
An outbreak of Clostridium difficile linked to 16 hospital deaths in the Niagara area has brought the region’s health system under fire, with angry politicians and residents saying it is just the latest concern with the hospital network.
Politicians, including Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, joined roughly 100 protesters in criticizing the Niagara Health System for what it called the mishandling of an outbreak of the antibiotic-resistant superbug.
Protesters held signs that said “Hospitals in peril,” accusing the hospital of not telling residents until June 23 about an outbreak at the Greater Niagara General Hospital in Niagara Falls following four C. difficile-related deaths.
But the head of the Ontario Hospital Association blasted the unions, and local and provincial politicians, for their participation in the protest, calling it “reprehensible” at a time when hospital staff is attempting to get the outbreak under control.
“How unhelpful can you be? Basically turning it into a panic situation in the community as people see their local politicians out there picketing the hospital,” said OHA president and CEO Tom Closson.
Sixteen deaths linked to the superbug have been reported at hospitals in St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls since late May, the most recent occurring Monday. The Niagara Health System has since declared outbreaks at all three hospitals and confirmed cases in other NHS hospitals.
Protest organizer and Niagara Falls City Councillor Wayne Gates said he was appalled four deaths occurred at the local hospital before the public was notified.
“That was the breaking point,” he said, adding that there has been “a crisis in health care down in the Niagara region for a long, long time.”
Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, NHS CEO Dr. Sue Matthews addressed some of the criticisms directed at the hospital network, saying additional cleaning measures — including the use of a corrosive disinfectant — have been applied, as advised by a public health team brought in by the province.
She also addressed allegations brought forward by the Service Employees International Union, which claimed the outbreak was linked to poor infection control due to the outsourcing of cleaning staff to American contractor Aramark. Matthews said there is only one Aramark employee, in a management position; all cleaning staff are hospital employees. Practices are regularly audited and follow provincial cleaning standards, she added.
Michael Gardam, head of infection control with Toronto’s University Health Network, said while unfortunate, C. difficile outbreaks are not uncommon.
“It’s present everywhere in Ontario,” he said. “It’s not a new thing. This is another in a long line of outbreaks.”
Allison McGeer, director of infection control at Mount Sinai Hospital, agrees outbreaks are common, but said there is cause for concern in a new virulent strain of the bug detected only in the past few years. She estimates the stronger bug will kill 250 people in Ontario this year — about 10 times as many as a decade ago.
C. difficile causes diarrhea and is usually spread through contact with bodily fluids. It is one of the most common infections in hospitals, often putting the elderly and those with underlying illnesses at a higher risk.
With files from The Canadian Press
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