Evanston YWCA closes after two sickened with Legionnaire’s; remediation underway

After two people who had spent time at the YWCA Evanston/North Shore developed Legionnaire’s Disease, the organization is temporarily closing its 1215 Church Street building in Evanston while the hot water system undergoes remediation, the YWCA said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health performed testing Monday, Oct. 7 and the results came back Oct. 10, when that agency, along with YWCA officials and Evanston Health and Human Services, met to discuss what steps to take next, said Erin Venable, director of marketing and communications for the YWCA Evanston/North Shore.

They made the decision to close the building while a water management consultant conducts remediation and long-term prevention protocols for the building’s hot water system, according to a statement the YWCA issued. Programs will be suspended or moved online.

“The building shutdown is a temporary shutoff of the hot water supply after testing detected the genetic material from Legionella bacteria, which can cause Legionnaires’ disease.  We are following all recommended remediation steps and will continue to operate with transparency,” the statement said.

Legionnaires’ disease is a very serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) that can be treated with antibiotics but still can kill as many as 1 in 10 people who develop it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. People with chronic lung disease and/or weakened immune systems and current and former smokers are most at risk, according to CDC information.

The Church Street building contains two pools, staff offices, a large community room and smaller workshop/classrooms.

The closure affected some of the women and children in the YWCA’s domestic violence shelter operations, Venable said, and other community organizations and businesses stepped up to help those clients. In addition, the YWCA provided clean bottled water, hand sanitation, food and other necessities for them.

Immediately after the YWCA’s Thursday phone meeting with the department of public health, they shut down the building and informed its users of the situation and the precautions they were taking, Venable said.

The bacteria was found in the hot water system, which supplies water to sinks, showers and water fountains, the statement said. Both of the swimming pools tested negative for the bacteria. Toilets, which run on the cold water system only, were not affected.

The statement said anyone who has been at the YWCA’s Church Street building and develops pneumonia-like symptoms, such as coughing, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches should seek medical attention because of their potential exposure.

The YWCA expanded the Church Street building with an $18.5 million renovation in 2021, allowing it to increase the number of people it serves.