Seattle Children's Hospital has filed a lawsuit to block the release of health department records regarding mold at its facility, according to court documents cited by King 5.
The hospital's legal team filed an amended complaint in an attempt to block the release of state and county health records.
Documents previously released to the media through a public records request revealed a nearly 20-year history of Aspergillus mold in the air handling system of the hospital's operating rooms.
Most recently, an infant at Seattle Children's Hospital died Feb. 12 after she developed a mold-related infection acquired at the facility, the seventh mold-related death since 2001.
The health records sought by the media are "confidential and sensitive," Adrian Urquhart Winder, attorney for Seattle Children's, said, according to King 5. The attorney cited a state law that says records produced for quality improvement purposes cannot be publicly disclosed.
On Jan. 10, Mark Del Beccaro, MD, former CMO and senior vice president of Seattle Children's Hospital, resigned, according to a hospital spokesperson. King 5 could not reach Dr. Del Beccaro for comment.