The Ohio Department of Health has ordered Mount Carmel Health System to "take immediate action to contain a Legionnaire's outbreak" at its new Grove City hospital.

The health system announced late Friday night that seven patients with Legionnaire's disease have been treated since last week at the seven-floor, 210-bed facility that opened April 28 to replace the former Mount Carmel West hospital in Franklinton.

In what was described in a Health Department news release as a "rare adjudication order," state health Director Amy Acton told Mount Carmel that it must flush and disinfect waterlines and fixtures; test and clean ice machines and drinking fountains; clean onsite cooling towers; and provide test results and a water management plan to the Ohio Department of Health.

"If Mount Carmel Grove City fails to implement the actions outlined in Dr. Acton’s directive, she will order the hospital to cease accepting new patients," the department's news release said.

Of the directive from the Health Department, Jose Rodriguez, a spokesman for the department, said, "In cases like this, sometimes you do want to make a statement and put it in writing to make sure you’re clear with the guidance. These cases don’t happen very often."

Mount Carmel announced late Friday night that it is working with the state health department, Franklin County Public Health, and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track down the source of the bacteria. State and Franklin County health officials plan to assess the facility Saturday morning.

Legionnaires' disease is a form of bacterial pneumonia that often spreads in water systems. Outbreaks most commonly occur in buildings with “complex water systems,” including hotels, hospitals and cruise ships, where it can spread in cooling towers, hot water tanks and other plumbing systems, according to the CDC.

Mount Carmel learned of the first case from Franklin County Public Health last week. The county alerted the health system to two additional cases on Thursday and Friday, and the hospital system discovered four more cases Friday.

"We're confident that we can safely maintain full services of the hospital while we study this situation," said a prepared statement from Dr. Richard Streck, chief clinical operations officer for Mount Carmel Health System.

Individuals with chronic, underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for Legionnaires' disease, according to the CDC.

rrouan@dispatch.com

@RickRouan