Superbugs hit crowded Ottawa hospital

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Hospital is blaming overcrowding for an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant "superbug" bacteria at its Civic and General campuses, according to CBC News.

Both campuses of the hospital are fighting outbreaks of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), while the Civic campus's intensive-care unit has six patients who've been isolated with Clostridium difficile (C. diff), which causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, the article stated.

An outbreak of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has also hit a section of the Civic campus, the article noted.

Dr. Kathy Suh, director for infectious diseases at the hospital, said hospitals often have to deal with these germs each year, but said the incidents of VRE this year are particularly high.

"We try to identify patients who have these early, admit them to private rooms where possible, and then for staff we require they wear special protective equipment before they go in to care for these patients," said Suh.

According to the article, the hospital has increased cleaning and housekeeping of patient rooms and equipment and is reminding all visitors and staff to wash hands frequently and use alcohol-based hand rubs to stop infection.

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Children's Hospital of Alabama going LEED

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Children's Hospital of Alabama is on its way to becoming the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified hospital in Alabama, thanks to an arrangement with Johnson Controls, according to Buildings.

Johnson Controls worked with the hospital to develop and maintain a central energy plant, the article noted.

The 740,000-square-foot expansion and energy plant should save the hospital 10 percent to 12 percent in projected life cycle cost, the article stated.

"We considered building the utility plant ourselves, but did not want to direct capital dollars towards an additional construction project on top of our ongoing expansion," says Mike McDevitt, executive vice president of the Children's Hospital.

"We realized that instead of becoming our own utility provider, we should look at heating and cooling service as a commodity, and purchase it from an efficient energy provider," McDevitt added.

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Shigellosis cases on the rise in child care facilities

WILMINGTON, NC — The number of Shigellosis cases in New Hanover County are on the rise, according to WECT-TV.

The health department stresses the importance of good hand washing practices to prevent the spread of the illness, the article noted.

According to the article, Shigellosis is a diarrheal illness caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella and is usually transmitted when an infected person fails to properly wash their hands after using the restroom.

Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, cramping, nausea and vomiting: Children and providers can quickly spread the infection to parents, siblings or other children, the article stated.

Daycare facilities are responsible for excluding any child from care that has diarrhea and refer them to their medical care provider for evaluation, the article added.

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Students lead the way in creating a sustainable college community

EASTON, PA — Every day is Earth Day at Lafayette College, as a growing number of students are taking an active role in making the campus a greener place to live and learn, according to a press release.

Through student-faculty research and projects and involvement in numerous campus organizations, students have been the drivers behind many efforts that helped the college climb from a grade of D- to B in the national Sustainable Endowments Institute's annual Green Report Card, the article stated.

"Students have stepped up to move the college forward with regard to working toward a sustainable community," said Arthur Kney, associate professor and head of civil and environmental engineering.

"It has been a united effort among faculty, staff and administration with the students acting as the thread that has brought us all together," Kney added.

George Xiques, assistant director of facilities planning and construction and campus sustainability manager, says it's critical that students are realistic in their environmental ideas, working with the administration to bring about change in a practical way, the article noted.

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Former janitor accused in $340,000 stock scam

CLEVELAND — A former custodian with stem cell developer Athersys has been accused by federal prosecutors of running a stock scam that bilked would-be investors out of $340,000 over six years, according to MedCity News.

Ronald Olear, 57, in some cases stole stock certificates to aid in his scheme, which involved selling bogus shares of stock to about 30 investors, the article stated.

The plot ran from 2003 to 2009, the year in which Olear was fired from his Athersys job, the article noted.

According to the article, Olear allegedly used the proceeds to help build a $600,000 house.

Athersys fired Olear shortly after learning of the allegations and said the ex-custodian's actions have had no impact on the company or its operations, the article added.

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Shigellosis cases on the rise in child care facilities

WILMINGTON, NC — The number of Shigellosis cases in New Hanover County are on the rise, according to WECT-TV.

The health department stresses the importance of good hand washing practices to prevent the spread of the illness, the article noted.

According to the article, Shigellosis is a diarrheal illness caused by a group of bacteria called Shigella and is usually transmitted when an infected person fails to properly wash their hands after using the restroom.

Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, cramping, nausea and vomiting: Children and providers can quickly spread the infection to parents, siblings or other children, the article stated.

Daycare facilities are responsible for excluding any child from care that has diarrhea and refer them to their medical care provider for evaluation, the article added.

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The University of North Carolina hire consultant to resolve housekeeping complaints

CHAPEL HILL, NC — The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) will hire an external consultant to address a range of complaints raised by housekeepers in recent months, according to The Daily Tar Heel.

"I want to help everybody who's had difficulty in this situation, and I'm happy to make this investment of time and some money to pay an external consultant to see if we can come up with some new ideas," said Chancellor Holden Thorp.

Jackie Overton, chairwoman of the forum, said four themes were expressed at the meetings with Thorp: Retaliation, intimidation, management issues and inconsistent application of rules, the article noted.

Housekeepers presented their complaints to Thorp in a previous meeting, which occurred after weeks of controversy within the housekeeping ranks that began with a debate over the wage-hour policy that prohibits employees from taking additional breaks without prior approval from their supervisors, the article stated.

"After that meeting, we had three others because the chancellor really wanted their concerns to be heard fully," Overton said.

"So the decision was, after much discussion, to bring in an outside source to not let anybody at the university handle the issue, because there could always be the accusation that it's tainted," Overton added.

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