Mobile Home Sales in Ridgeway, SC

RIDGEWAY, S.C. (WIS) - A resident testing positive for a waterborne pathogen at a nursing home reportedly has nurses and residents unable to use the water.

“They have been bringing jugs of water, bags of ice. We have not been able to properly wash our patients,” said one nurse who did not wish to be identified.

Some nurses at Ridgeway Manor Healthcare say this has been going on for about a week now. WIS learned today from the Regional Director of Operations that staff nor patients can use the water because a resident tested positive for a waterborne pathogen.

“They’re not talking to us and letting us know why we can’t wash our patients and why we can’t wash our hands. We’re not even able to wash our hands, and that goes against infection control,” said an anonymous employee.

The nurse says staff can only use hand sanitizer after visiting each patient. She also tells WIS they’ve been having to find alternative ways to wash their patients.

“So, a lot of the CNAs have been using wipes and warming them up in the microwave. Some people have been using jugs and warming them up in the microwave,” she said.

And some nurses say they haven’t been washing the patients at all.

“No, no,” said another nurse who also wished to remain anonymous.

The nurse says she found out they could no longer use the water after she had already distributed ice water to the patients in her hall.

The unidentified nurse says, “I came in, and we were distributing water to the patients, and in less than 25, 30 minutes within the shift, they were like, okay we need you guys to take the cups out of the rooms, they cannot use this water.”

The regional director of operations at the home says the water stoppage is out of an abundance of caution, and as of right now, he says there’s no link between the resident testing positive and the water at the facility.

We’re told the home pulls its water from a well.

WIS, today was able to uncover some other issues at the facility. The severity from the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid was an F to a D. They have been hit with over 16 thousand dollars in fines, had 3 infection-related deficiencies, and 19 total deficiencies. An F shows no actual harm, but the potential for more than minimal harm that doesn’t pose immediate jeopardy. Deficiency is widespread. While a D shows no actual harm, the potential for more than minimal harm doesn’t pose immediate jeopardy. Deficiency is isolated.

“I want us to be aware of what’s going on, and I want our patients to be treated properly. The way they should. They shouldn’t have to suffer anymore,” said the unidentified nurse.

DHEC says they’re working to provide clean water to residents and investigating the denial of access to water violates state and federal health and safety regulations. The agency also confirms they’re investigating a case of Legionnaires’ Disease at the facility.

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RIDGEWAY, S.C. — Authorities said they don’t believe gunfire Wednesday near a Duke Energy plant in South Carolina was any sort of attack.

It happened about a mile away from the Wateree Hydro Station in Ridgeway, around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Investigators with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office have since said they have no evidence to believe it was an attempted attack on the facility. Authorities cited the shell casings being found so far from the station.

No outages were reported during the incident. Still, the FBI and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division were called in to help investigate.

ALSO READ: Power restored: Moore County residents try to return to normal after substation attack

WOLO in Columbia shared a statement from the Kershaw County sheriff, who said the shots were not fired directly at the plant, no damage has been done to the property and no one was hurt.

Duke Energy shared a statement with ABC News, saying, “We are aware of reports of gunfire near the Wateree Hydro Station in Ridgeway SC. No individuals were harmed. There are no outages reported. There is no known property damage at this time. We are working closely with the FBI on this issue.”

The incident, which happened just as the last bit of power was being restored to Duke Energy customers in Moore County, North Carolina, points to authorities being on high alert as they continue monitoring potential attacks.

Channel 9′s Madison Carter has learned of another incident at a substation last month in Jones County, near the North Carolina coast, that impacted 12,000 Carteret-Craven Electric customers. Investigators would only call it “vandalism,” but didn’t specify how it was vandalized.

Carter also uncovered back in March, someone targeted a power substation in Durham County, but that didn’t impact any customers. Again, the Department of Energy would only refer to this as an intentional attack, but shared no details on how it happened.

Michael Mabee is a power grid expert in the United States who has sued the federal government over threats to the grid. He’s watching these attacks closely, calling them a huge concern.

“You know, we’ve got this coordinated attack in North Carolina and then all of a sudden, we’ve got a bunch of other ones,” Mabee said. “So could possibly be a copycat, could possibly be a dry run for something bigger.”

A $75,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest in the Moore County attack.

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FAIRFIELD COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - Researchers with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control have identified one confirmed case of Legionnaire’s Disease at Ridgeway Manor Healthcare Center in Ridgeway.

Ron Aiken, media relations director of DHEC made the following statement:

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) identified one confirmed case of Legionnaire’s Disease among the residents. Four more probable cases have been identified and are being investigated after reviewing a line list for all residents who reported lower respiratory illness during the last 12 months, lived at the facility and who had no alternative diagnosis.

The well water sample taken at the facility last week tested negative for the presence of Legionella. Our investigation into the source or sources of Legionnaires’ at this facility is ongoing, and we can provide additional information once it’s complete.

It’s important to note that investigations into the source or sources of Legionnaires is complex, and often it’s not possible to determine the origin of the bacteria that infected people. The facility staff continue to be helpful in our investigation, and we continue to ensure that facility implements the necessary precautions for protecting the both the residents and staff of Ridgeway Manor Healthcare Center.

RELATED CONTENT / Doctors explain Legionnaires’ Disease

Legionnaires’ disease travels through water droplets in the air and can lead to a deadly type of pneumonia or lung infection, which can be particularly dangerous in a nursing home.

Symptoms of Legionnaire’s disease are like COVID and the flu and include fever, chills and a cough. In some cases, it can cause muscle aches, headaches, tiredness and loss of appetite.

Symptoms of the disease usually occur two to 10 days after exposure. Doctors say the disease can be treated with antibiotics, but according to the Centers for Disease Control, one out of 10 people who get Legionnaires’ disease will die from the infection.

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A resident at a nursing home in Fairfield County was diagnosed with Legionnaires Disease, now health authorities are working to figure out the source.

RIDGEWAY, S.C. — A case of legionnaires disease was found at Ridgway Manor, an assisted living facility in Fairfield County, and now the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control is investigating.

On Thursday, leaders at Ridgeway Manor did confirm there was one positive case of Legionnaires Disease found. They said a resident in their facility went for routine medical treatment at The Medical University of South Carolina. While there, the woman tested positive for Legionnaires after exhibiting symptoms of the disease.

Managers and overseers of Ridgeway Manor facility say they are working as hard as they can to keep their residents safe by getting their water tested.

PRISMA epidemiologist Helmut Albrecht says legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires Disease is everywhere.

“Water outlets, nebulizers, wet air conditioning towers, showers, fountains, whirlpools have done this, hydrotherapy baths, there's a long list," Albrecht stated.

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Dr. Albrecht says Legionnaires Disease mainly affects older people and is not contagious. He says it has to be found at its source so other people are not infected.

“We know where to look. It's in the water system, so wherever mists of water are generated. You work with your health department, you're usually asked to flush the water system just to try to identify areas where this water is stagnant and sort of reaches a temperature that sort of encourages these bacteria to grow," Dr. Albrecht explained.

DHEC sent out this statement on Friday morning:

The most recent well water sample taken at the facility earlier this week tested negative for the presence of Legionella. Our investigation into the source or sources of Legionnaires' at this facility is ongoing, and we can provide additional information once it's complete. It's important to note that investigations into the source or sources of Legionnaires are complex, and often it's not possible to determine the origin of the bacteria that infected people.

The facility staff and water operator continue to be helpful in our investigation, and we continue to ensure that the facility implements the necessary precautions for protecting both the residents and staff of Ridgeway Manor Healthcare Center.

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The facility says while the investigation is ongoing they will be doing what they can to protect other residents.

Ridgeway Manor is also under investigation by DHEC for another case as well. On February 28 there was a complaint filed saying that staff and residents were being denied the use of water at the facility. Investigators say this case is also still ongoing.

After a year of opposition, a Virginia company has received approval to build a quarry there.

RIDGEWAY, S.C. — The Virginia-based company Luck Stone has received approval to mine granite in Ridgeway and now they are searching for locals to help fill spots in their company.

The quarry is being built off Highway 34 and I-77 behind Winnsboro's water supply tower.

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The project was officially approved by DHEC and Fairfield County in January of 2022, and now Luck Stone says they are preparing to open.

"We have been looking at this property for the last several years, we've done some extensive testing on the property and know that it's going to be a good crushed stone source," SE Region Vice President, Joe Carnahan. "Right now, we have partnered with a site development company and they are getting ready to mobilize, and grade the site in a way that is usable for our operation starting in about the middle of next year when we'll start the extraction process. We'll process our material into different sizes of rock that can be used for road base, through concrete ingredient as well as asphalt."

The company says they are working to hire for everything from salespeople to welders and equipment operators, with the goal of being staffed before opening for sales in the summer of next year.

And several people from the Fairfield community like Janice Watkins came out with the hopes of being one of those new hires.

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Watkins currently drives 45 minutes from her home in Fairfield to her job in Columbia. She feels that having another company in the area could help others like her in the community.

"There's a lot of companies that start out in Winnsboro then they close and so you're having to find employment in other locations and it may require that you drive a little further than you want," Watkins explained.

Now that the luck stone company has hosted its first community event, they plan to begin taking pre-blast surveys and surveying the wells of properties surrounding the quarry as well.