Posted on 03/06/2008 3:19:13 PM PST by MizSterious
By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago
Health officials used an incomplete patient list to notify people exposed to hepatitis and HIV at a Las Vegas clinic, an epidemiologist testified Thursday.
"We know of patients who had been there whose names were not on the list," Southern Nevada Health District epidemiologist Brian Labus told a state legislative committee on health care.
The public hearing was the first investigating the spread of hepatitis C from unsafe practices at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. An outbreak of six cases of acute hepatitis C was made public last week. The surgical center and five other affiliated clinics have been closed.
Nearly 40,000 patients who received treatment at the center from March 2004 to mid-January have received letters telling them they are at risk for exposure and urging to be tested for hepatitis B and C, and HIV.
Labus said the patient list was provided by the center and based on financial records. He did not explain why some patient names would not have appeared.
Health officials believe the clinic spread the virus by reusing syringes and vials of medication. Health District chief Lawrence Sands said it was a well-known violation of common safety standards.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Associated Press - March 6, 2008 12:45 PM ET
LAS VEGAS (AP) - A top health official says a hepatitis C outbreak caused by unsafe practices at a Las Vegas clinic "should never have happened."
Southern Nevada Health District chief Dr. Lawrence Sands is testifying at the state legislative committee on health care.
He calls the practices at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada "unacceptable."
The public hearing is the first investigating the outbreak since it was a made public last week.
Health officials have confirmed six people contracted hepatitis C through the Endoscopy Center, and nearly 40,000 patients have been told they are at risk for exposure.
They're being urged to be tested for hepatitis B and C, and HIV.
Each of the viruses is transmitted through blood. Health officials believe the clinic spread the virus by reusing syringes and vials of medication.
How many were visitors paying with cash and records kept off books for illicit tax purposes? If they reuse syringes, they'd definitely keep money from the IRS. As was said yesterday, this may just be the tip of the iceberg.
And that’s just the cash that got disclosed........
Coming to a Government Health Clinic in your neighborhood 1/20/2009.
Just my opinion, but I suspect a lot of officials were well-paid to look the other way.
Absolutely. Looks at the UK or Canada for references—Muslim nurses and doctors who refuse to wash their hands, long waits for life-saving surgery...and on and on.
I can’t help but think that this”surgical center” was a case of a 1 doctor-owned entity who used staff with no medical background to work for him. No nurses that I’ve ever met would ever re-use a syringe. If the doctor used untrained staff, however, they would believe whatever he told them.
I got a colonoscopy at one of these places. The guy that started the IV in the holding room was a retired teacher. I asked if he would start it in my arm, as I hate the ones in the back of the hand, but he wouldn’t (or couldn’t). When I got into the procedure room, the anesthesiologist couldn’t get the drip started, because the guy had missed the vein. Everything stopped while the nurse restarted it, in my arm this time.
I’m not waiting for the letter!
Every ambulance chaser in town is running ads on this. Its even managed to top the number of asbestos ads. I have a feeling that this is going to get really really ugly.
How much is a hepatitis case due to this negligence worth? How much is one HIV case worth?
I’m sure the patients won’t get much, that’s often the case. But as to how much it’s “worth”—well, the so-called treatment for this disease (60% or so cure rate) runs around $25,000, takes 6-8 months and might have to be repeated if it fails. Some later require liver transplants. Some just don’t make it. The treatment is so brutal, a lot of people can’t work, so they’re out of work for all those months. It’s not easy to go through all of this.
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