Courtroom closed for disinfection after H1N1 scare

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cuyahoga County Courthouse was closed for disinfection after a woman wearing a surgical mask appeared at a hearing claiming to be carrying the H1N1 influenza A (swine flu) virus, according to The Plain Dealer.

Within minutes of the plaintiff's proclamation, the courthouse cleaning crew was called in and signs were put up on doors around the courtroom on the 17^th floor, saying: "Courtroom is being disinfected," and "Do not use computer, phone or desk. Swine flu scare," the story stated.

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Bob Reid said: "If there is a situation where we believe there is any infectious disease, we'll call central services, the maintenance personnel for county offices. That's the protocol we've had in the 90 days I've been in office."

Matt Carroll, the director of the Cleveland Department of Public Health, said disinfecting the courtroom is not something they would recommend because it does not provide meaningful protection against the spread of the illness, and instead stressed that the best prevention is for people to wash their hands frequently and avoid people who appear to be ill, the story noted.

According to the story, about five years ago, a person spit in a courtroom; officials had the room disinfected then as well.

This incident appears to be the first time a county office was closed because of fears related to the H1N1 virus, the story added.

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Toronto YMCA unveils green roof

TORONTO, ON, Canada — A short 4 months after the Metro Central YMCA announced plans to build a green roof atop their facility, the fruits of their labor have been unveiled, according to the Torontoist. Though it won't be very "green" until the plants fill out next spring, the roof will be teeming with life as people use the running track that covers the perimeter and designated open spaces for yoga, stretching or simply relaxing, the story stated. According to the story, upon reviewing suggestions from 2,500 members, the YMCA revised their final selection to make room for more trees and seating, as well as incorporating raised edging on the track to assist the visually impaired. The majority of materials used on the roof, which had to be carried up by hand from the forth floor because the service elevator does not go to the roof, are sustainable and made from recycled products, the story noted. Though the roof is, for the most part, finished, crews continue to work and add finishing touches to give the roof a less synthetic, more realistic feel, the story added. Click here to read the complete article.

New white paper answers questions about bed bugs

ATLANTA — With increasing national coverage of beg bug infestations, Orkin Inc. and the American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services (ASHES) of the American Hospital Association (AHA) have released a new white paper to answer questions about bed bugs and their implications for health care and long-term care providers, according to a press release.

In "Pulling Back the Sheets on the Bed Bug Controversy: Research, Prevention and Management in Hospital & Long-Term Care Facilities,” Orkin entomologists Ron Harrison, Ph.D. and Bill Lawrence, Ph.D. examine the current position of the medical and pest management communities on the bed bug issue, share Orkin technical and field research and offer tips on prevention, early detection and remediation, the release stated.

According to the release, the white paper will be distributed at the ASHES Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition in Reno, Nevada, September 21-22, after which it will be available for download at www.ashes.org.

ASHES and Orkin have partnered on educational materials in the past, including the ASHES Recommended Practice on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the health care industry, the release noted.

ASHES Executive Director Patti Costello said: "Concern about bed bugs has grown steadily over the past decade alongside the bed bugs resurgence. We asked Orkin to provide some insight to help our members better understand the practical issues and solutions surrounding these pests."

LEED Gold-certified homeless shelter

LEESBURG, VA — The new combined homeless shelter and transitional housing center is Loudoun County's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror.

Achieving certification on the Gold level, the building features low-flow fixtures, no volatile organic compound (VOC) paint, carpet and furniture, an ultraviolet (UV) light air filtration system and occupancy sensors for lighting, the story stated.

Ninety-seven percent of construction waste generated from the project was recycled rather than put into a landfill, the story noted.

According to the story, additional LEED points were earned by incorporating bikes racks to encourage non-fossil fuel transportation and offering preferred parking for low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles.

Bill Clark of the Department of Construction and Solid Waste Management, said: "[This is] a good thing for us to do, to build this sort of structure and not ignore these people and not judge them but to help them. It defines us as a community. [This is a project] everyone should be proud of, a really good use of tax dollars."

The shelter, which was worked on by Waynesboro Construction and is operated by Volunteers of America, was expanded from 8,000 square feet to 18,000 square feet and is set to open later this month, the story added.

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Memphis City Schools lose a couple hundred custodians

MEMPHIS, TN — After several rounds of layoffs have lessened the number of custodians cleaning Memphis City Schools by a couple hundred, many are concerned that limited personnel will hinder efforts to clean and sanitize the schools, according to WHBQ-TV.

Memphis City Schools consist of more than 200 schools and each has only three custodians and a building engineer to perform all of the necessary work, the story stated.

To avoid outbreaks from a number of viruses, Memphis City Schools are following government protocols and cleaning restrooms three times daily and disinfecting sports equipment after each use, the story noted.

School Board member Reverend Kenneth Whalum Junior said: "I hope they can do the job with fewer numbers. It seems to me, though, that common sense would say it's going to be a lot harder to do so."

To ensure that a quality job is still done despite fewer custodians, all surfaces in Memphis City Schools, including students' and teachers' desks, window sills, floors and other high-touch surfaces are cleaned with a damp mop, wet mopped and then treated with an antibacterial solution, the story added.

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Allegations of racially motivated firings

MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama State Representative Alvin Holmes has called for an official investigation into the firing of 44 city janitors, a move he claims was racially motivated, according to WSFA-TV.

In a letter sent to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Holmes points out that 99 percent of the laid-off janitors are black, and he contends their termination violates federal anti-discrimination laws, the story stated.

City of Montgomery spokesman Michael Briddell said: "At no point in the process did we look at the ethnicity of the people affected. All we looked at were job functions that could be reduced or eliminated so we could save the money we needed to in the upcoming budget."

Many of the laid-off janitors have already found other positions with similar pay and benefits, including some who will now work for the private janitorial service the city has hired to replace them, the story noted.

Upwards of 100 city employees are losing their jobs as a result of reduced revenue, and the city claims race was never a deciding factor in their decision-making process, the story added.

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NY's Cornell University reports swine flu outbreak

As of 9/8/09 the total number of students diagnosed by Gannett Health Services with probable H1N1 influenza has increased to 291. On 9/4/09 reports show 140 students with probable cases of the H1N1 virus.