Health officials in New Jersey are worried that more than 200 people who had intravenous medications at a NJ Medical Center may have contracted HIV or Hepatitis B and C after a former employee was accused of drug tampering.
As Yahoo reported, Shore Medical Center officers have sent out letters to 213 patients offering free tests and support. The patients were admitted to the hospital and had an intravenous treatment such as e IV morphine or hydromorphone between June 1, 2013 to Sept. 17, 2014. The hospital's announcement follows the case of a former pharmacist named Frederick McLeish, who was accused of drug tampering. New Jersey Health Department spokeswoman Dawn Thomas claimed that the patients' exposure to the diseases is low.
"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," said hospital spokesman Brian Cahill in a statement.
McLeish worked as a registered pharmacist at Shore Medical. He had been permitted to prescribe, dispense or administer medications. He was arrested in January after a long investigation. Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said that McLeish took out the drug from the vials and replaced it with saline solution, NJ reports. Apart from drug tampering, the former pharmacist was also charged of theft by unlawful taking and possession of a controlled dangerous substance. On Jan. 21, he was released on $20,000 bail.
"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," Shore Medical said in its statement. The hospital has also set up a call center for easy access of information regarding the drug tampering case.
Drug tampering in Shore Medical Center is one of the few cases involving the use of inappropriate drug by a former employee in a hospital set up. Just this month, the Swedish Medical Center in Colorado has urged nearly 3,000 patients for testing for their possible exposure to HIV, Hepatitis B or C after their ex-medical technician was involved in surgical tampering. As previously reported by Lawyer Herald, the technician identified as Rocky Allen was charged on one count of tampering with consumer product and one count of acquiring a controlled substance by deceit.
New Jersey officials have not disclosed information on whether somebody tested positive on HIV, Hepatitis B or C. They claimed they cannot give details because of private medical information law.
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