The finance staff at Columbia Memorial Hospital has been relocated from the Ellis Building to the third floor of the Health & Wellness Pavilion amid concerns about mold.

In a letter on Oct. 13, Erik Thorsen, the chief executive officer of the Astoria hospital, wrote that finance employees were relocated in late August after preliminary testing revealed possible organic growth in the foundation and crawl space area.

An independent agency conducted further testing and found “elevated levels of certain molds” in two offices and the crawl space area, according to the letter.

The letter, which was obtained by The Astorian, also stated that finance staff will not move back into the Ellis Building, but will eventually move into the Park Medical Building across from the hospital on Exchange Street. Finance employees will continue to work out of the pavilion until the space is ready.

Thorsen encouraged employees concerned about health impacts to seek medical care and file workers’ compensation paperwork if they believe symptoms are tied to mold in the Ellis Building.

Sarah Bello, a hospital spokesperson, confirmed that finance staff has been relocated.

“CMH is addressing water damage that occurred in the crawl space of the finance building,” Bello said in an email. “Out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our caregivers and to help facilitate the necessary repairs to the building, we have temporarily relocated the department to another building on the campus.

“CMH is currently working with a contractor to evaluate and make the necessary repairs to the building.”

Columbia Memorial is in the midst of a $175 million expansion to upgrade facilities.