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July 26. 2012 10:24PM
Dr. Jose Montero, the state's public health director, speaks to a crowd of about 100 who attended a public information meeting at Exeter High School Thursday night to learn more about the outbreak of hepatitis C at Exeter Hospital. (JASON SCHREIBER/Union Leader Correspondent)
Linked articles:
State postpones hepatitis C testing for 3,400 patients from Exeter Hospital
Hepatitis C probe now in 8 states
State nixes plans to test for hepatitis
Dr. Jose Montero, the state's public health director, speaks to a crowd of about 100 who attended a public information meeting at Exeter High School Thursday night to learn more about the outbreak of hepatitis C at Exeter Hospital. (JASON SCHREIBER/Union Leader Correspondent)
State postpones hepatitis C testing for 3,400 patients from Exeter Hospital
Hepatitis C probe now in 8 states
EXETER — State health officials came under fire Thursday night as Exeter Hospital patients and others accused them of mishandling the hepatitis C outbreak and worsening the fears of those still wondering if they're infected.
“I see a lot of scared people who are not getting answers,” said Edward Demars of Seabrook, who knows people who have been tested or are still waiting to be tested. “I think this is being handled poorly and I think someone else should step in.”
The state held a public information meeting at Exeter High School to give an update on its response to the crisis and future testing plans.
The big announcement came about an hour before the meeting, when the state said it had decided to postpone plans to hold hepatitis C testing clinics this weekend and early next week for some 3,400 additional patients who had undergone surgery or been admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit between April 1, 2011, and May 25, 2012.
A mass testing was “unprecedented in scale” and was too difficult to pull off in such a short amount of time, Health and Human Services Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas told the crowd of about 100.
He said the “overriding issue was to make sure the health and safety of the people being tested wasn't going to be compromised.”
The state didn't have enough time to make sure the clinics had the proper staffing and supplies in place, officials said.
The state announced Tuesday that it planned to test about 6,000 former patients after learning that David Kwiatkowski, the former Exeter Hospital medical technician charged with infecting at least 30 patients through drug diversion, had access to more than just the cardiac catheterization lab. More than 1,200 patients treated in that lab have already been tested.
The number of additional patients to be tested for the potentially fatal disease that attacks the liver was later lowered to 3,400.
Dr. Jose Montero, the state's public health director, apologized for the delay in the clinic, saying the state will likely announce a new plan next week. In the meantime, he said patients can also arrange testing through their own physician if they prefer not to attend a public clinic.
The postponement of the clinics and this week's announcement that Kwiatkowski had more access to the hospital than originally thought prompted criticism from some in the audience.
Sal Canto of North Hampton said he found it “distasteful” that Exeter Hospital didn't send a representative to speak at the meeting.
“Meanwhile, everybody here is still anxious about what their problems are,” he said. “It's been dragged out long enough now.”
Candace Oates of Fremont, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, is still waiting to have a second test to rule out the virus. She underwent a procedure on April 3 and recalled seeing Kwiatkowski in the room that day when she woke up. “He was very nice and polite,” she said.
Oates said she's now trying to access her medical records from the hospital to find out what drugs she was given that day but the hospital won't provide her with information.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire and seven other states are continuing to investigate Kwiatkowski's work history; several are now alerting patients to be tested. Kwiatkowski worked in at least 12 hospitals across the country, including Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York.
On Thursday, Pennsylvania health officials announced that he worked at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh and Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. He worked at one hospital in 2008 and another in 2010. State officials said they don't know if Kwiatkowski was infected with hepatitis C at the time he worked there.
Jason Schreiber may be reached at jschreiber@newstote.com.
“I see a lot of scared people who are not getting answers,” said Edward Demars of Seabrook, who knows people who have been tested or are still waiting to be tested. “I think this is being handled poorly and I think someone else should step in.”
The state held a public information meeting at Exeter High School to give an update on its response to the crisis and future testing plans.
The big announcement came about an hour before the meeting, when the state said it had decided to postpone plans to hold hepatitis C testing clinics this weekend and early next week for some 3,400 additional patients who had undergone surgery or been admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit between April 1, 2011, and May 25, 2012.
A mass testing was “unprecedented in scale” and was too difficult to pull off in such a short amount of time, Health and Human Services Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas told the crowd of about 100.
He said the “overriding issue was to make sure the health and safety of the people being tested wasn't going to be compromised.”
The state didn't have enough time to make sure the clinics had the proper staffing and supplies in place, officials said.
The state announced Tuesday that it planned to test about 6,000 former patients after learning that David Kwiatkowski, the former Exeter Hospital medical technician charged with infecting at least 30 patients through drug diversion, had access to more than just the cardiac catheterization lab. More than 1,200 patients treated in that lab have already been tested.
The number of additional patients to be tested for the potentially fatal disease that attacks the liver was later lowered to 3,400.
Dr. Jose Montero, the state's public health director, apologized for the delay in the clinic, saying the state will likely announce a new plan next week. In the meantime, he said patients can also arrange testing through their own physician if they prefer not to attend a public clinic.
The postponement of the clinics and this week's announcement that Kwiatkowski had more access to the hospital than originally thought prompted criticism from some in the audience.
Sal Canto of North Hampton said he found it “distasteful” that Exeter Hospital didn't send a representative to speak at the meeting.
“Meanwhile, everybody here is still anxious about what their problems are,” he said. “It's been dragged out long enough now.”
Candace Oates of Fremont, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, is still waiting to have a second test to rule out the virus. She underwent a procedure on April 3 and recalled seeing Kwiatkowski in the room that day when she woke up. “He was very nice and polite,” she said.
Oates said she's now trying to access her medical records from the hospital to find out what drugs she was given that day but the hospital won't provide her with information.
Meanwhile, New Hampshire and seven other states are continuing to investigate Kwiatkowski's work history; several are now alerting patients to be tested. Kwiatkowski worked in at least 12 hospitals across the country, including Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and New York.
On Thursday, Pennsylvania health officials announced that he worked at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh and Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. He worked at one hospital in 2008 and another in 2010. State officials said they don't know if Kwiatkowski was infected with hepatitis C at the time he worked there.
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Jason Schreiber may be reached at jschreiber@newstote.com.
