Posts
The Pima County Health Department
has partnered with the Arizona Department of Health Services to examine an
incident regarding patients who may have been exposed to blood-borne diseases,
such as hepatitis or HIV. The Pima County Health Department is contacting the
dental patients who were seen at the T Dental Clinic at 3662 W. Ina Road in
Marana, Ariz., between January and July of 2010. This is a precautionary
measure; no cases of disease transmission have been identified at this time.
The Health Department is contacting all potentially exposed patients, believed
to be approximately 174 individuals, based on dental records. However, if
persons were T Dental Clinic patients between that timeframe—January to July
2010—and have not yet been contacted, they are urged to call the Health
Department staff at (520) 243-7808 for specific guidance.
Dr. Francisco Garcia, Public Health
Director, declared, “At this time, we are trying to help provide residents with
sufficient information so they can take the appropriate steps to feel secure
about their health. The only individuals at risk for infection are those who
were seen at T Dental Clinic during a very specific period of time.” Garcia
further explained that even though the County Health Department does not
regulate dental and medical offices, the Health Department believes that it is
vitally important to notify the public regarding this possible health risk.
The potential exposure may have been
the result of improperly installed dental equipment; however, currently, there
is no evidence that patients were exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or HIV.
The Health Department strongly recommends that the people who have been
contacted make an appointment with their primary care physician to be tested
for these diseases. T Dental Clinic patients who have questions, or need
information about referrals or where to get tested, should call Health
Department staff at (520) 243-7808, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
The T Dental Clinic is no longer in
practice. It closed operations around the time period of July 2010.
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!
