San Francisco Bay Area health officials were trying to determine Monday if three people who died and five who were sickened after eating Thanksgiving dinner at a church event got sick there or at the assisted living facility where they all lived.
Sutter Delta Medical Center in Antioch said in a statement Monday it received eight patients with “probable food-borne symptoms” between Friday and Saturday.
Three of the patients died, four patients were treated and released, and one remained hospitalized, the hospital said.
“We do not believe there is any risk to the general public,” said Dr. Louise McNitt, deputy health officer for Contra Costa County.
It’s unclear exactly what caused the illness, she added.
All eight lived at the same assisted living facility and ate a free Thanksgiving dinner at the American Legion Hall in Antioch along with other residents and staff members who did not get sick, McNitt said.
The traditional Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, mash potatoes, stuffing, green beans, bread and pies was served by the Golden Hills Community Church, which has held the event for several years, said Dr. Marilyn Underwood, environmental health director for Contra Costa Health Services.
Volunteers prepared the mashed potatoes, green beans and stuffing on site, at a commercial-grade facility. The rest of the meal, including the turkey, was donated by other food facilities, Underwood said.
They served 835 people who included homeless people, residents of assisted living facilities, and anyone who wanted to have a good holiday meal, she said.
McNitt said that no other reports of illness related to the dinner have been received and that officials were trying to determine if there were other people who got sick but didn’t seek medical care.
McNitt and Underwood declined to provide the name of the living facility or any details about the eight patients citing patient privacy concerns.
Contra Costa County coroner’s officials said they could not release the names of those who died pending notification of next of kin.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Well intentioned holiday meals can become a problem if the food is not prepared properly. Failure to cook the turkey completely can cause those who received some of the undercooked meat to get sick. Over the years I have noticed many people do not handle food as well as they should. They will use the same utensils to handle cooked food as uncooked food. They fail to clean utensils that fall onto the floor. Food is not kept at the appropriate temperature.
Hopefully medical professionals will be able to determine if these people fell ill/died as a result of the meal or if that was a coincidence.
I agree Justin with one additional comment. People must also be sure that when they reheat leftovers they are brought to a minimum of 165 and as quick as possible. This is to be sure to kill any germs that might have entered the food after it was cooked and before it was put away.
If no one else was sickened from the meal then my money would be on the assisted living facility they resided at. My prayers go out to the families of all involved in this tragic loss.
Do you know that Rommey, Joe Biden, Bill Clinton. They was pardon from service, they were draft dodgers, ask Jimmie Carter. Linda