DOH Provides ACFs with Guidance on Preventing Legionnaires' Disease

(Nov. 26, 2024) The Department of Health (DOH) has issued this Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) for adult care facility (ACF) providers to offer guidance on managing building water systems to help prevent Legionnaires’ disease among residents. Given that Legionnaires’ disease is a severe and often deadly form of pneumonia, we encourage members to review the guidance carefully, as prevention practices can be very effective.

ACFs should contact their local health department if multiple residents are hospitalized with the same illness or symptoms. If one or more persons become sick with facility-associated Legionnaires’ disease, the local health department, in conjunction with the Department’s environmental health staff, can provide guidance. 

The DAL provides various resources including toolkits and training that will be useful to ACFs.

Any questions can be directed to DOH at acfinfo@health.ny.gov.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828