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Legionella bacteria found in Family House's water system

PITTSBURGH — Family House is a place where patients and their families can come and stay while they're undergoing treatment.  So when the organization was notified that a resident who stayed there came down with Legionnaires' disease, it immediately did tests that confirmed the presence of the bacteria.

Diane Vannoort has been a resident since the fall and has been working to get better after undergoing major surgery.

"I had a double lung transplant, so I'm here recouping," she said.

Diane Vannoort was surprised to hear that the legionella bacteria was found at her home away from home.

After tests confirmed the presence of the bacteria, residents said Family House immediately sprung into action.

"They came here twice and flushed out all the lines.  They recheck them all the time, too," said resident Larry Vannoort.

The first flush of the pipes happened June 20, the same day the test results came back.  The pipes were flushed again June 27.

People staying at Family House said they were notified every step of the way and are pleased with the organization's response.

The health department and Family House believe raising the temperature and the flushing of the pipes will get the problem under control.