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Houston Healthcare, in Warner
Robins, Ga., recently sent letters to more than 400 Houston Medical Center
patients suggesting they get tested for hepatitis C. The patients may have been
exposed to the disease when the medical technician accused of spreading
hepatitis C from contaminated syringes worked at the medical center’s heart
catheterization lab. At present, he is accused of infecting more than 30 people
in New Hampshire and other states where he had worked.
In the summer, letters were sent to
fewer than 100 Houston Medical Center patients who might have had contact with
the technician, but Houston Healthcare was encouraged to notify additional
patients who were treated in an area of the medical center where he worked.
Cary Martin, chief executive officer of Houston Healthcare, noted that as a
result of findings in other states, public health officials recommended
expansion of testing to include patients who received injectable narcotics and
care in an area where the technician worked. So far, no cases of hepatitis C
matching the strain under investigation have been found locally.
The traveling technician had worked
at Houston Medical Center from October 25, 2010, to March 17, 2011. In
addition, he had worked in several hospitals across the country where he is
accused of stealing anesthetic drugs and injecting himself, thus contaminating
syringes that were later used for patients.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
