New York names facilities that treated drug-resistant fungus, Candida auris
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- Late Wednesday, the New York State Department of Health released a list of medical facilities impacted by an emerging and deadly drug-resistant fungus following repeated requests for the information from 7 On Your Side Investigates.
The list made public in the state's annual "Hospital Acquired Infections Report" identified facilities that have treated patients with confirmed cases of the bug called, Candida auris.
The fungus results in common symptoms such as fever and fatigue and typically sickens people with weakened immune systems.
Roughly one out of three patients who catch the bug will die, according to doctors at the Centers for Disease Control.
Prior to 2013, doctors were not aware of the fungus that appeared suddenly at various locations around the globe and spread quickly, particularly in New York, which has seen more cases than any other state.
The identified 64 hospitals, 103 long-term care nursing homes, a long-term care hospital, and three hospice units in New York that have cared for patients with the fungus.
Data from the health department indicates roughly two out of three cases occurred in Brooklyn.
Back in May, 7 On Your Side Investigates reported on the bug's spread. And in September, 7 On Your Side investigates was among the first to identify a facility in New York encountering patients with the disease even as the state refused to release a list of impacted facilities.
"It's a very serious health threat," said Dr. Irwin Redlener, Columbia University professor and an expert on public health policy. "It's a superbug, meaning resistant to all-known antibiotics."
The bug has forced hospitals to implement new sanitation requirements as well as infection prevention and control techniques, including screening for the bug, in some cases when a patient is admitted, according to a health department spokesperson.
Once patients are confirmed to have the bug, loved ones say they end up in quarantine requiring anyone who has contact to wear gloves and masks.
Related: Drug-resistant Candida auris spreads to New York City, New Jersey
Related: Sen. Schumer calls on CDC to declare emergency in fight against superbug
Here is the list of hospitals that have cared for people with Candida auris Infection or Colonization, as of June 28, 2019.
Hospital Name - ID
New York County (Manhattan)
--Bellevue Hospital Center - 1438
--Harlem Hospital Center - 1445
--Henry J. Carter Specialty Hospital - 1486
--Lenox Hill Hospital - 1450
--Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases - 1453
--Metropolitan Hospital Center - 1454
--Mount Sinai Beth Israel - 1439
--Mount Sinai Hospital - 1456
--Mount Sinai West - 1466
--New York Presbyterian Hospital - Allen Hospital - 3975
--New York Presbyterian Hospital - Columbia Presbyterian Center - 1464
--New York Presbyterian Hospital - New York Weill Cornell Center - 1458
--New York-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital - 1437
--NYU Langone Hospitals - 1463
--NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital - 1446
Queens County (Queens)
--Elmhurst Hospital Center - 1626
--Flushing Hospital Medical Center - 1628
--Jamaica Hospital Medical Center - 1629
--Long Island Jewish Forest Hills - 1638
--Long Island Jewish Medical Center - 1630
--Mount Sinai Hospital - Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens - 1639
--New York-Presbyterian/Queens - 1637
--Queens Hospital Center - 1633
--St. John's Episcopal Hospital So Shore - 1635
King County (Brooklyn)
--Brookdale Hospital Medical Center - 1286
--Brooklyn Hospital Center - Downtown Campus - 1288
--Calvary Hospital Inc (Brooklyn Campus) - 1175
--Coney Island Hospital - 1294
--Interfaith Medical Center - 1309
--Kings County Hospital Center - 1301
--Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center - 1315
--Maimonides Medical Center - 1305
--Mount Sinai Brooklyn - 1324
--New York Community Hospital of Brooklyn, Inc - 1293
--New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital - 1306
--NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn - 1304
--University Hospital of Brooklyn - 1320
--Woodhull Medical & Mental Health Center - 1692
--Wyckoff Heights Medical Center - 1318
Bronx County (Bronx)
--BronxCare Hospital Center (Concourse) - 1178
--Calvary Hospital Inc (Bronx Campus) - 1175
--Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center - 1172
--Montefiore Med Center - Jack D Weiler Hosp of A Einstein College Div - 3058
--Montefiore Medical Center - Henry and Lucy Moses Div - 1169
--Montefiore Medical Center - Wakefield Hospital - 1168
--S&H Health System - 1176
Richmond County (Staten Island)
--Richmond University Medical Center - 1738
--Staten Island University Hosp - North - 1740
--Staten Island University Hosp - South - 1737
Westchester County
--S&H - St. John's Division - 1097
--Westchester Medical Center - 1139
Rockland County
--Good Samaritan Hospital of Suffern - 0779
--Helen Hayes Hospital - 0775
--Montefiore Nyack - 0776
Nassau County
--North Shore University Hospital - 0541
--Glen Cove Hospital - 0490
--Mount Sinai South Nassau - 0527
--NYU Winthrop Hospital - 0511
Suffolk County
--Huntington Hospital - 0913
--Southside Hospital - 0924
--University Hospital - 0245
Orange County
--Orange Regional Medical Center - 0699
Dutchess County
--Vassar Brothers Medical Center - 0181
Albany County
--Albany Medical Center Hospital - 0001
Monroe County
--Rochester General Hospital - 0411
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