Homewood Nursing Home in Frederick MD Cooperating with Salmonella Investigation
Homewood at Crumland Farms nursing home in Frederick, Maryland, is cooperating with a Salmonella outbreak investigation by public health officials. Since July to early November, eight people were sickened with Salmonellosis and two were hospitalized. One death has been reported in a patient who had other complications.
The Frederick County Health Department has been working with Homewood nursing home officials to determine the cause of contamination but so far the cause for the Salmonella bacteria has not been determined. "We are still monitoring the situation,'' Darlene Armacost, communicable disease program manager for the Frederick County Health Department told the Frederick News Post newspaper..jpg)
Health department officials have inspected Homewood repeatedly, Armacost said. The entire Environmental Health Services branch of the department, the section that inspects restaurants, has visited the kitchen many times, she told the newspaper. Health department staff have also reviewed proper sanitation procedures, including the importance of hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers when no sink is available, Armacost said. Employees also have been tested for the pathogen.
The elderly are at increased risk for severe illness from Salmonella, a bacteria that causes diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. Salmonellosis usually lasts four to seven days, but there is a risk of bloodstream infection that can have long-lasting negative health effects. One possible complication is reactive arthritis, or Reiter's syndrome.
Families whose loved one have been sickened in this outbreak may have legal questions about compensation for medical bills and pain and suffering. Food safety law firm PritzkerOlsen, P.A., is providing free case consultations at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or by completing the contact form on the side of this Web page. Our firm is a national leader in foodborne illness litigation and we are actively involved in efforts to curb the spread of food poisoning in the United States.
