Testing planned to ensure moisture and mold don't affect Chambersburg Hospital again

CHAMBERSBURG - More work is planned this month to make sure moisture and mold will not become issues again at Chambersburg Hospital. 

Remediation efforts in parts of the King Street Addition at the hospital were recently completed after moisture was found seeping through windows late this summer, according to Jeannie Constable, spokesperson for Summit Health. All units are now operating as normal. 

Tests are planned the week of Dec. 10, weather permitting, to ensure the work was properly done, Constable said. 

Summit Health announced in early September that it had to close a quarter of the hospital's rooms and several units due to moisture issues created through a combination of very wet weather and windows that allowed the moisture in. Of the hospital's 240 patient rooms, 66 were closed at the onset. The hospital had to transfer about a dozen patients to other facilities.

"We closed rooms if we had any suspicion or evidence of moisture behind the wall," Constable said in September. 

Flashing between windows and exterior walls was repaired, and insulation was replaced in affected rooms. The continued wet weather hampered some repairs. 

Remediation experts from the Baxter Group and Service Master were brought in to identify areas where water may have seeped through in the $100 million, six-year-old addition. 

More:Chambersburg Hospital's leaking windows take toll on services

More:Mold found in some rooms affected by moisture issues at Chambersburg Hospital

Small spots of mold were found under dry wall in some patient rooms. 

Areas remained closed until air quality tests showed they were safe. 

Chambersburg Hospital was not alone in the wet weather creating interior problems.

Close to 20 Wilson College, Chambersburg, students had to stay in a local hotel for a couple weeks while moisture problems in their dormitory were remedied in late September. 

In Greencastle, Magisterial District Judge Duane Cunningham's office has been closed since the end of August after mold was found. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system was found to be the cause. While the office was initially expected to reopen by Thanksgiving, Cunningham's court could remain at its temporary location in Mercersburg in the office of MDJ Jody Eyer until the new year.