Shore Medical Center has warned its patients of a threat of exposure to HIV and Hepatitis B or C. The New Jersey hospital Officials at have notified 213 patients they may have been exposed to the diseases due to drug tampering that may have caused patients to come in contact with an employee’s blood.
The hospital, which is across the bay from Ocean City, said it had notified all the patients that may have been affected by the tampering. The alert involves patients who received morphine or hydromorphone as part of their treatment and may have come in contact with an employee’s blood as a result, reports Philly.com
Shore Medical Center in Atlantic County warns patients of possible HIV, hepatitis exposure https://t.co/KahK5YLuHh http://pic.twitter.com/1AMuOxFuvT
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According to an internal investigation at the hospital and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, McLeish, a former pharmacist at the hospital allegedly tampered with the drugs by replacing morphine with saline solution in vials that were administered to patients.
Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office detectives arrested McLeish, 53, of Egg Harbor Township, on Jan. 21. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in state prison.
Shore Medical Center Warns Of Possible HIV Hepatitis Exposure « CBS New York https://t.co/FdcGohjABT
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The hospital said in its letter to patients that the tampering may have caused patients to come in contact with the ex-employee’s blood and urged patients to get tested, The Press of Atlantic City reported. The hospital said it’s providing free testing for patients who may have been exposed and has set up a dedicated call center for affected patients and family members who have questions.
Dawn Thomas, state department spokeswoman said,
“The Department of Health is working with Shore Medical Center to investigate a potential infection control breach at the hospital. Although the risk of infection is low, out of an abundance of caution, the Department of Health is recommending that affected patients receive testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.”
Arlene Polmonari, of Atlantic City, received the letter last week that she might have been exposed to the diseases due to past surgeries for a knee replacement and a procedure for her back. She said,
“A phone call would have been nicer than this. You know, to soften the blow a little, make people not feel so hysterical about it. Thankfully I tested negative for all three. We are talking a year and a half that people could have been exposed and getting sick from this. How many people could have brought it home to their spouses or pregnant women to their babies or whatever, and they are just now letting people know?”
Patients may have been exposed to HIV & hepatitis, SHORE MEDICAL CENTER Hospital warns THEM BUY SENDING OUT LETTERS. https://t.co/OTd0uOCQf1
— Eric Wright™ (@therealeric916) February 25, 2016
According to CBS Philadelphia, Brian Cahill, of Shore Medical Center, released a statement saying the hospital takes “patient care very seriously.”
“We have been working with public health authorities to determine if patients could have been exposed to blood borne pathogens at Shore through contact with this employee’s blood,” Cahill said in the statement. “We have contacted all patients who received certain intravenous medications between June 1, 2013 and September 17, 2014. We are providing free testing and support through every step and are partnering with local health department agencies during this testing period in order to be extremely cautious.”
Earlier this month, a hospital in Colorado notified surgery patients that they should get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C, after a former surgical technician allegedly removed a syringe containing the narcotic drug Fentanyl Citrate from a workspace and replaced it with a similar syringe at the beginning of a surgery reports CBS.
The exposure scare to HIV and Hepatitis at the Shore Medical Center have raised the red flags with the patients, not many of them happy with the hospital policy.
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
HIV, Hepatitis Exposure Threat: Shore Medical Center Warns Patients is an article from: The Inquisitr News
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