Five things to know:
1. The federal and state governments blame McLaren Flint for five Legionnaires’ cases in 2018 and 2019.
2. McLaren disputes this argument and says the disease originated outside the hospital.
“Our hospital treats sick people, including people that come to our facility with Legionnaires’ disease contracted from community sources,” McLaren said in a statement.
3. State orders for the hospital include water restrictions such as substituting sponge baths for showers, since Legionnaires’ is spread through water droplets. The hospital must also notify patients of Legionella concerns, send all water test results to the state and cooperate with investigators.
4. Officials first investigated McLaren Flint for Legionella contamination during the Flint water crisis of 2014-16. One of the two patients suspected to have contracted the disease in 2019 spent 10 days at McLaren during the disease’s incubation period.
5. McLaren has threatened legal action against the MDHHS.
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