Legionnaires’ Outbreak At A Bloomingdale Nursing Home

In early September 2025, health officials in Illinois made a sobering determination: two cases of Legionnaires’ disease were linked to a long-term care facility in Bloomingdale. The facility, Alden Valley Ridge Rehabilitation and Health Center, became the focal point of an outbreak investigation after environmental testing traced the presence of Legionella bacteria to its cooling tower and even within a patient’s room.

Given the vulnerability of nursing home populations, older adults, often with chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems, the outbreak raised serious public health alarms. Fortunately, both individuals affected have since recovered. Still, the incident underscores important lessons about oversight, prevention, and rapid response in nursing home and congregate settings.

What Is Legionnaires’ Disease?

According to the Mayo Clinic:

• Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by inhaling water droplets containing Legionella bacteria.
• The bacteria thrive in warm, damp environments, especially in plumbing systems, cooling towers, hot tubs, and large HVAC systems.
• It is not spread from person to person.
• Symptoms often include cough, shortness of breath, fever, headache, and muscle aches.
• While many exposure events do not lead to illness, among those who do get sick, mortality can be high: about 1 in 10 infected individuals may die, especially among high-risk populations, like those in nursing homes.
• Risk factors include older age, chronic lung disease, smoking history, immunosuppression, and other underlying health problems.

Given these characteristics, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and other congregate living settings must maintain vigilant water system management and monitoring in order to prevent widespread disease outbreaks.

The Bloomingdale Nursing Home Outbreak

Identification of Legionnaires’ Disease and Linkage to the Facility

The first case was discovered in early September. State health authorities tracked the infection and determined the likely source was the Alden Valley Ridge facility located in Bloomingdale. Once the link was suspected, environmental sampling was conducted inside the building. Tests revealed Legionella contamination in:

• The facility’s cooling tower
• A patient room’s water system

These findings confirmed that multiple internal water systems had been breached by the bacteria, allowing infectious aerosols to pose risk to residents, staff, or visitors.

Institutional Response and Public Health Measures

In response, officials required the facility to implement water restrictions, limiting access to or use of water sources that might pose risk. They also mandated that residents, their families, and staff had to be informed of the outbreak.

Health departments coordinated with the facility to:

• Identify all potential sources of Legionella
• Remediate or disinfect affected systems
• Monitor and retest until safe levels were verified
• Ensure that corrections are sustained over time

The facility’s public statement asserts that it followed state and local health department recommendations and remains committed to resident safety.

Scope, Risk, and Spread of Legionnaires’ Disease

Officials advise that anyone who was within two miles of the facility in the past month and now exhibits symptoms such as cough, fever, muscle aches, or shortness of breath should see a medical provider.

Though the public is told there’s no reason for panic, the potential reaches beyond just the facility’s occupants:

• Aerosolized Legionella can travel short distances in the environment, particularly under favorable conditions
• The outbreak could represent a sentinel event prompting further surveillance in the surrounding community
• Quick detection and remediation are key to limiting who might be exposed

So far, only two confirmed cases have been tied to the nursing home. Importantly, both persons recovered.

Why Long-Term Care Facilities Are Especially Vulnerable to Legionnaires’ Disease

Nursing homes and rehabilitation centers face particular challenges when it comes to waterborne pathogens like Legionella. Below are some of the reasons:

• Complex plumbing and HVAC systems: Large buildings often have centralized water heating, cooling towers, and expansive piping networks with dead legs (sections of plumbing where water stagnates)
• Elevated susceptibilities of residents: Many residents are older and have comorbid health conditions, stronger risk of severe outcomes
• High water demand interspersed with low usage zones: Some wings or rooms may see less frequent use, allowing stagnation
• Regulatory gaps or resource constraints: Some facilities lack robust water safety or infection control expertise or sufficient budgets for frequent monitoring
• Delayed detection: Symptoms might be dismissed as general pneumonia or attributed to other causes until lab confirmation comes back

Because of these factors, facilities must adopt preventive water management plans, routine testing, maintenance of water temperatures, flushing protocols, disinfection procedures, and rapid outbreak response protocols.

What to Do if Your Loved One Contracts Legionnaires’ Disease in a Nursing Home

Discovering that a family member has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease while in the care of a nursing facility can be overwhelming. Because this illness is often linked to poor facility maintenance, water management failures, or neglect, it’s important to act quickly and protect your loved one’s health and legal rights.

Here are the steps families should consider:

• Seek immediate medical care: Ensure your loved one receives prompt treatment, as Legionnaires’ disease can be severe if not addressed quickly.
• Request full transparency from the facility: Ask the nursing home what steps they are taking to remediate the outbreak, whether other residents are affected, and how they are ensuring safety going forward.
• Document everything: Keep records of your loved one’s medical diagnosis, treatment, symptoms, and any communications from the nursing home.
• Report the case: Contact the Illinois Department of Public Health to notify them of the illness and request an investigation, if one is not already underway.
• Consult an Illinois nursing home negligence attorney: Nursing homes have a legal duty to provide a safe environment. If their negligence contributed to the outbreak, your family may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, or even wrongful death.

By taking these steps, families can hold negligent facilities accountable and help prevent similar outbreaks from harming others.

Frequently Asked Questions About Legionnaires’ Disease and Nursing Home Residents

Q: Why are nursing home residents at higher risk?
A: Nursing home residents are typically older and may suffer from chronic illnesses or weakened immune systems. These factors increase the likelihood of developing Legionnaires’ disease and suffering serious complications.

Q: How is Legionnaires’ disease contracted in a nursing home?
A: The bacteria often grow in a facility’s plumbing, cooling towers, hot water systems, or other large-scale water sources. Residents may be exposed when they breathe in mist or vapor from contaminated water.

Q: Can Legionnaires’ disease be fatal?
A: Yes. The CDC estimates that about 1 in 10 people who contract Legionnaires’ disease will die. The risk is higher among older adults, smokers, and those with compromised immune systems.

A: Can families pursue legal action if a nursing home outbreak occurs?
A: Yes. Nursing homes have a legal duty to maintain safe premises. If neglect in water system maintenance, infection control, or communication led to illness, families may have grounds to file a claim for damages, including medical costs, pain and suffering, or wrongful death.

Contact the Experienced Illinois Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers at John J. Malm & Associates

The Bloomingdale outbreak should never have happened, and it highlights what can go wrong when nursing homes fail to maintain safe facilities. At John J. Malm & Associates, our team of experienced Illinois nursing home injury attorneys has spent years standing up for families whose loved ones were harmed by neglect, unsafe conditions, or corporate indifference.

If your family member contracted Legionnaires’ disease in a nursing home or rehabilitation center, you deserve answers. You may also be entitled to compensation for their medical care, suffering, and related damages. Our firm has the knowledge, resources, and determination to investigate these cases, identify failures in facility maintenance, and hold negligent operators accountable.

Don’t wait to take action, time can be critical in protecting your rights and gathering the evidence needed for a strong case. Contact John J. Malm & Associates today for a free consultation. Let us help you fight for justice and the safety your loved one deserves.