Ottawa Public Health issues closure order to Ottawa acupuncture clinic

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has issued a closure order to the New Acupuncture Clinic, located at 1340 Wellington St., under Section 13 of the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act. An order under this section is necessary to decrease or eliminate the identified health hazards. The closure order, issued on July 29, 2015, was served to Alexander Tran and Phillip Tran.

On July 14, 2015, OPH received a complaint involving a potential health hazard related to conditions during acupuncture treatment. OPH initiated an investigation related to the potential health hazard as required by the Ontario Public Health Standards mandatory programs and the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Practices Complaint Protocol . Part of this process is to refer the complaint to the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO), which is responsible for the standards of practice of Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (R. TCMP).

On July 23, OPH conducted an assessment of the clinic and identified several deficiencies in IPAC practices that could potentially result in a health hazard related to:

 * 
proper use, handling and disposal of sterile needles

 * 
proper hand hygiene

 * 
expired alcohol-based hand gel and cleaning products

 * 
proper use of personal protective equipment

OPH conducted a follow-up inspection on July 29 and the noted IPAC deficiencies had not been addressed as required. As a result, OPH issued a closure order on July 29 to Alexander Tran and Phillip Tran. The closure is in effect until the clinic meets IPAC standards.

OPH does not regularly inspect acupuncturists, as they are regulated by the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario (CTCMPAO). If members of the public have a complaint about any aspect of an acupuncturist’s practice, they can notify the CTCMPAO.

Members of the public can report complaints related to community infection prevention and control practices to Ottawa Public Health. OPH notifies the appropriate regulating body, if applicable, and works with them as needed to ensure proper follow-up of the reported concern.

For additional information, visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca or call Ottawa Public Health Information at 613-580-6744 (TTY: 613-580-9656 ). You can also connect with us on Facebook , Twitter , Pinterest and Tumblr .