RICHLAND, Wash. –
Kadlec Regional Medical Center were dealing with a plumbing issue that started last week.
Lisa Hauner was admitted to the hospital for a surgical procedure.
Hauner told me she loves the nurses and doctors there, as they do a great job taking care of her.
Hauner’s recent stint in the hospital is one she won’t soon forget.
“We didn’t have any hot water,” said Hauner.”I checked in on Sunday and I had been informed that there hasn’t been any hot water since the Thursday before.”
She told me she has different medical conditions going on and having access to the hot water is important to her health and routine.
“Obviously with seven surgeries, I’ve had a lot of reconstructive surgeries and there’s different hygiene routines that I’ve had to incorporate to keep things functioning,” Hauner tells me.
She ended up calling the Washington Department of Health to file a complaint.
I weren’t able to verify if a complaint was filed with the D.O.H.
I did reach out to them and they were not able to talk until Monday.
I was able to get a hold of Kadlec and they sent me this statement saying:
Late last week we identified an issue with a water valve, which impacted hot water flow to our Emergency Department and one of our acute care units. Our Facilities team and external contractor worked diligently to replace the valve and the issue has now been resolved. The loss of hot water, isolated to these two departments, did not impact operations or patient care, and did not pose an increased infection risk. Our caregivers continued to follow standard hand washing protocol. According to the CDC, “Warm and cold water remove the same number of germs from your hands. The water helps create soap lather that removes germs from your skin when you wash your hands. Water itself does not usually kill germs. To support patients on the impacted units, showers were available on nearby units, and warm bath wipes were available for hygiene. As always, Kadlec is committed to our Mission of providing safe, compassionate care.”
According to the D.O.H. website, a hospital should report within 48 hours anything affecting operations and maintenance. Since the hospital still had running water, they didn’t need to report it.
Hauner said this was a hard time for her.
She was able to find a work around as her friend dropped off a small coffee pot to produce her own hot water.
After not having hot water, she still says the hospital provides “top notch” care.
“Every time I’ve been here, the service, the people…phenomenal” said Hauner.
Kadlec tells me the hospital was able to transport some patients to other parts of the hospital to bathe and sponge baths for those who couldn’t be moved.
Hauner says she just hopes this situation will be a learning experience so other patients don’t have to deal with something like this.
