ANTIOCH, Calif. _ Health officials are trying to find out what caused three people to die and five more to fall ill following a Thanksgiving-themed community dinner at the American Legion Hall in Antioch on Friday night.
Sutter Delta Medical Center received eight patients who had attended the dinner with apparent food-borne illnesses on Friday night and Saturday, according to a hospital spokesman. One patient has been released and one remains hospitalized.
At a news conference Monday afternoon in Martinez, Dr. Louise McNitt, Contra Costa County's deputy health officer, and Dr. Marilyn Underwood, environmental health director for Contra Costa Health Services, said they could not be sure whether it was in fact the food that caused the people to get sick. But it looks that way now.
"The symptoms were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pretty standard for a food-borne illness," McNitt said. Still, until tests are completed _ possibly seven to 10 days _ they won't know for certain.
Even then, McNitt said, it isn't "100 percent sure" the exact cause will be determined. County health officials are looking to hear from more people who got sick so they can be tested. Underwood said it is believed 835 people took part in the meal. A county health permit was not required for the event.
Added Underwood, "We really need to get more information about what organism is causing this." It appears to be a "fast onset" organism whose symptoms have come on and subsided quickly, she said.
McNitt and Underwood wouldn't confirm the ages of those who died, or where they lived, though all eight people involved are believed to live in the same "assisted living facility," Underwood said.
The incident occurred at the American Legion Hall at 406 W. Sixth St. Commander Autrey James of American Legion Post 161 in Antioch confirmed that the location was being used by Golden Hills Community Church of Brentwood to serve Thanksgiving dinner. Patients arrived at the Antioch hospital over the next 24 hours or so.
An apparent church member, Lind Griffin Henke, posted on the church's Facebook page late Monday afternoon that the dinner was "for senior citizens, homeless and others who would be alone for Thanksgiving."
The post-Thanksgiving event is part of a long tradition for the church, according to one parishioner, and food is prepared in volunteers' homes to be donated for the feast.
Church leaders have not responded to requests for comment.
Usually, the American Legion allows groups to lease the facility to serve the homeless on Thanksgiving, James said.
"We are very upset by any loss of life," James said. "We're just dumbfounded."
The nondenominational church has facilities in Antioch and Brentwood and was formed in 1983, according to information on its website. It has more than 3,500 members and numerous community outreach programs, according to the site.
Tracing the source of the contamination presents its own challenge, Underwood said, because the food at the dinner came from various sources, including the church kitchen, contributions from restaurants and private volunteers.
