UVM Medical Center Transfers Patients, Staff from Inpatient Rehab at Fanny Allen Campus to Main Campus
Move Made To Ensure Patient, Staff Safety After Employees Reported Symptoms
BURLINGTON – UVM Medical Center is transferring 25 patients receiving rehab care in the inpatient unit on our Fanny Allen campus to the hospital’s main campus. The decision was made out of an abundance of caution for the safety of patients and staff, after staff members reported separate instances of symptoms including feeling faint, dizzy, weak or nauseous over the past several days. At this time, no patient has been affected by any of these symptoms.
All employees who experienced symptoms have been treated as necessary and have recovered. Data from the built-in carbon monoxide monitors and additional air testing throughout the facility shows the air quality to be within normal range. At this point, with input from an independent medical consultant, we believe these incidents are not related to the air quality events that occurred in operating rooms on the Fanny Allen campus last fall, which led to shutdown of the ORs, extensive testing, and implementation of safety equipment and plans.
“We decided to make this move happen today out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our patients and staff,” said Stephen Leffler, MD, president and chief operating officer at the UVM Medical Center. “I want to thank everyone who assisted. This is another example of how we work together in the best interests of our patients and staff during challenging times.”
The UVM Medical Center will move forward with a full investigation, aided by the independent medical consultant and the Vermont Department of Health, which has offered its assistance. Other services at the Fanny Allen campus, including Urgent Care, are not affected.
About the University of Vermont Medical Center
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a 499-bed tertiary care regional referral center providing advanced care to approximately 1 million residents in Vermont and northern New York. Together with our partners at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, we are Vermont’s academic medical center. The University of Vermont Medical Center also serves as a community hospital for approximately 150,000 residents in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties.
The University of Vermont Medical Center is a member of The University of Vermont Health Network, an integrated system established to deliver high quality academic medicine to every community we serve.
For more information visit www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenter or visit our Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and blog sites at www.UVMHealth.org/MedCenterSocialMedia.
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