Legionella Team, Cortland County Health Department

Left to Right:
Karen Felker-Harrity, Registered Nurse, Pam Griffith, Supervising Public Health Nurse, Mike Ryan, Environmental Health Director, Diane Madak Lamont, Supervising Sanitarian, and Suzanne Osterhoudt, Public Health Nurse

In 2015-16, Cortland County experienced a legionella outbreak. Clinical and environmental staff teamed up to conduct surveillance, investigation, education and outreach. As new cases increased, Andy Palm, PHN, took the lead on the client interviews, with assistance from Suzanne Osterhoudt, PHN and Karen Harrity, RN. Pam Griffith, SPHN worked with the local hospital and the State Department of Health to develop standard protocols and procedures on all patients with a differential diagnosis of community acquired pneumonia, and to secure appropriate testing through Wadsworth. Mike Ryan, Environmental Health Director, conducted windshield surveys to identify potential sources of bacteria and attained full compliance with the new cooling tower regulations prior to the deadlines. Staff successfully utilized social media and the local newspaper to educate the public about the issue. While the source has not been found to date, many suspect sources have been eliminated through testing. Collaboration resulted in successfully preventing a larger public health outbreak.

Learn more about Public Health Nurses, Public Health Sanitarians, and Environmental Health Careers.