3,700+ Patients in Surgery Center May’ve Been Exposed to HIV and Hepatitis

Thousands of patients may have inadvertently been exposed to blood-borne illnesses due to “lapses in infection control in sterilization.”

Tim Hayes
Jan 1st, 2019
HealthPlus Surgery Center
HealthPlus Surgery Center

An NBC News article from last week discussed a troubling story in which more than 3,700 patients at an ambulatory surgery center in New Jersey may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis. The HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook, New Jersey sent letters to patients treated at their facility between January 1 and September 7, 2018 warning them of the risk and suggesting they get blood tests for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV.

The issue came to light when the state department conducted an investigation of the surgery center and found that the staff wasn’t following proper sterilization procedures. The findings prompted a two-week closure of the facility during which it hired and trained new staff members, improved infection control, and repaired all medical equipment.

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