KINGWOOD, W.Va. — The new state Department of Health Facilities said a patient at Hopemont Hospital in Terra Alta suffered burn injuries Thursday following an equipment malfunction.
“A thermostat on a water tank servicing one residential unit failed resulting in unsafe water temperatures. Subsequently, one resident of the facility was treated for burns,” a news release from the DHF said.
The agency is conducting an internal investigation. The Preston County Sheriff’s Department is also investigating. The DHF said it immediately removed two contract staff workers from the hospital’s staffing schedule pending the investigations.
“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,” said DHF Cabinet Secretary Michael Caruso.
As a precaution, patients in the affected are being taken to other units to bathe.
Editor’s note: MetroNews updated its original story that incorrectly reported that two patients had been injured.