NSF Shares Legionella Information on #HCBiz Podcast and at Upcoming Conference

In the last year, more than 6,000 Americans were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, a waterborne disease caused by inhaling small water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria. NSF’s Dave Purkiss and water and public health consultant Joseph Cotruvo recently sat down with The #HCBiz Show! to discuss this widespread issue.

Purkiss, NSF’s Vice President of Global Water Systems, and Cotruvo, President of Joseph Cotruvo and Associates, LLC, explained to #HCBiz Show listeners what Legionella is, how it can be controlled and why health systems should prioritize this issue. Most importantly, they shared information about standards, tools and approaches to help implement a sound water management program, keep patients safe and avoid a non-compliance citation from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

This topic and preventative measures will also be discussed at the Legionella Conference 2018 – Managing Legionella and Other Pathogens in Building Water Systems on May 9-11, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. The three-day conference is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and marks the first time experts from industry, academia, public health, medicine and government will meet to discuss Legionella and other pathogens found in water distribution systems, building water plumbing systems and cooling towers.

The conference will feature more than 40 speakers, including representatives of NSF, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state organizations and various technical, mitigation and plumbing groups. Topics include biofilms, analytical techniques for detection and quantification, management technologies, prevention techniques, risk assessment, and state and federal guidance and requirements.

Purkiss and Cotruvo serve as co-chairs of the conference.

For more information or to register to attend the conference, please visit www.legionella2018.org.