MARTINSVILLE - Morgan County Health Officer Dr. John Reynolds confirmed this morning that a third courthouse employee might have tested for exposure to the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
 
Reynolds said the third test had been conducted at a private laboratory and he was requesting additional information as to how the test was conducted before he confirmed the result.
 
He said the first tests that indicated two employees had been exposed to the bacteria were conducted in the Morgan Hospital & Health Care Center laboratory.
 
Reynolds said all three employees have been treated and continue to work. He said at least 14 employees have been tested at the local hospital and none have tested positive for the actual disease. He said there might have been other tests done on employees at other laboratories.
 
Reynolds said the test results indicate the three employees have been exposed to the bacteria at some time in the past.
 
In late July, courthouse employees began complaining of an odor that began in Circuit Court. The odor spread to other areas and employees began feeling ill. County officials decided to move all courts and departments from the building and close it to the public.
Testing done by at least two government agencies and one private company did not find the cause for the odor or the employee’s illnesses.
 
The disclosure this morning followed a meeting Thursday afternoon that involved county judges, the prosecutor, Reynolds, and county commissioners and council members.
After that meeting, the judges and prosecutor met with courthouse employees in the main meeting room at the administration building.
 
During the first meeting, a number of complaints were aired concerning the county’s handling of the problem.
 
Some felt the county was not taking the problem seriously and they wanted assurances more would be done to find the problem.
 
There was also discussion on a number of rumors being passed around among employees, one of which was that the county had discontinuing testing of employees.
 
Reynolds said a memo sent by the Morgan Hospital & Health Care Center’s pathologist had been misunderstood. Reynolds said Dr. Allan Griggs had sent a letter to all area doctors informing them of the symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease. Reynolds said the letter outlined recommendations about should be tested and said that healthy people with no medical problems did not need to tested.
 
Reynolds said testing would be done on employees who have medical problems.
 
After the meeting, many of the people said it was good to clear the air. They said they all are now working together toward a common goal.
 
Reynolds said he, the commissioners and Superior Court I Judge Tom would be working on developing a plan to retest the building.
 
Reynolds said they have to decide on which agency or agencies to ask to test the building. He left open the possibility that at least one or more private companies would be hired to look at the courthouse. Reynolds said previous tests done by other agencies and a private company did not show a reason for the odor or the illnesses, and he said, because of the variety of symptoms displayed by employees, more than one problem may be causing the illnesses.
 
More than 40 courthouse employees attended the meeting late Thursday afternoon to hear Judge Gray and others. Gray said he and the other judges have been assured that more will be done to find the source of the problem. He said no one would move back to the courthouse until the problem or problems are fixed.
 
Superior Court III Judge Jane Craney said they had a good meeting with Reynolds and other county officials.
 
“We are serious and we are going to fight for you,” the judge said.
 
Judge Gray said there is a lot of information that had been developed but unfortunately none of it points to a cause for the problem.
 
He said current plans are for outside agencies to come in and begin from the beginning, checking the building and interviewing employees.
 
A number of employees expressed their unhappiness that the county’s initial effort appeared to be uncoordinated. They said no one other than their bosses and regular family doctors were interested in their illnesses.
 
 
Others expressed concerns with the courthouse itself. They cited a number of past and current problems including sewer backups, air handling problems, and water leakage through the walls that may be causing mold to grow in some areas of the building.
Some questioned the cleaning the building has received over the years. While the building is swept at night and the trash removed, some employees wanted to know if it received a “spring cleaning” which would remove dust from areas that are not normally cleaned each day.
 
There were questions about the possibility of dead mice and pigeons in the attic of the building and if they could be contributing to the problem.
 
Some said the problems have been in the building for a long time and are now becoming more public.
 
Judge Gray said previous testing done did not indicate those items were causing the problem. He said new testing would be done and would include those items.
 
 
 

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