One patient was treated for burns after an equipment malfunction at Hopemont Hospital, a long-term care facility.
The thermostat on a water tank servicing one of the residential units at the Terra Alta, W.Va.-based facility failed, resulting in too-hot water.
The facility, the health department and the Preston County Sheriff’s Office are conducting investigations of the incident. Two contract staff have been removed from the schedule pending an investigation, according to a Jan. 5 department statement.
"The safety of patients at our West Virginia hospitals is of the utmost importance and we take incidents such as these very seriously. Please be assured all patients are being cared for and we are committed to cooperating fully with law enforcement and all of the investigating agencies as this investigation continues," DHF Cabinet Secretary Michael Caruso said in the statement.
As a precaution, patients are being taken to other units for bathing purposes until staff has repaired the issue.