Three foot care clinics in Essex County have been suspended after the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit identified multiple breaches in infection prevention and control practices.
The health unit received a complaint on June 12 related to a number of foot care clinics located in Windsor and Essex County.
Health unit officials say the breaches are related to reprocessing, cleaning, and handling of equipment; and inadequate knowledge of infection control best practices.
The following locations have been suspended until further notice as a part of this on-going investigation:
- • Essex Community Services, 7-35 Victoria Ave. Essex, ON
- • Harrow Arena Community Room, 243 McAfee St, Harrow, ON
- • McGregor Community Center, 9571 Walker Rd. McGregor, ON
Additional clinics currently under investigation may be added to this list.
"Right now they are suspended, they are not allowed to operate until they fix those deficiencies, so three clinics are already told not to provide any services," said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, Medical Officer of Health. "The investigation is ongoing and we may have more locations to add, but right now, it's ongoing."
The health unit says although the risk of infection is very low, the WECHU recommends that clients that have received services from any of these locations consult their healthcare provider to discuss their specific risk.
The risk ranges from a localized skin or tissue irritation to more serious systemic infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.
Please talk to your healthcare provider for the specific risk that you may have been exposed to based on the procedure.
Please note that this is a lapse in protocol only, and no blood-borne infections have been diagnosed or linked to the locations identified at this time.
Anyone who may be impacted can contact the Environmental Health Department at 519-258-2146 ext. 4475 to speak to a Public Health Inspector for more information.
