FLORIDA: Fired Mayo Employee Indicted After Hepatitis Spread Through Reused Syringes

[Guest guest]

CDC 05-26-11

FLORIDA: " Fired Mayo Employee Indicted After Hepatitis Spread Through Reused

Syringes "

Florida Times-Union (ville) (05.24.11):: Dan Scanlan

A federal grand jury has indicted a former employee of the Mayo Clinic in

ville, who could face life in prison for an alleged drug-theft scheme

that reportedly caused five patients to contact hepatitis C virus (HCV), one of

whom has died.

Testing done on 3,500 patients found two more HCV infections that “may be

related to the former employee’s action,” according to a statement Mayo released

Tuesday. Those individuals are receiving follow-up care.

The FBI, ville Sheriff’s Office, Food and Drug Administration and Florida

Department of Financial Services cooperated in the investigation. The man is

charged with five counts of tampering with a consumer product resulting in death

or serious bodily harm and five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by

fraud.

The indictment states that the man was employed as a radiology technician at

Memorial Hospital ville from mid-1992 through October 2004, and at the

Mayo Clinic from October 2004 through August 2010. He is alleged to have

injected himself with the powerful painkiller Fentanyl, put new needles on the

syringes, refilled them with saline, and returned them for use on patients.

Mayo fired the technician. The arrest report states that the man acknowledged he

was an addict and stole drugs at work starting in 2006. In August, his attorney

said the man did not know he had HCV.

Mayo says it has toughened its narcotics security measures and expanded its

drug-screening efforts for job applicants.

[Guest guest]

CDC 05-26-11

FLORIDA: " Fired Mayo Employee Indicted After Hepatitis Spread Through Reused

Syringes "

Florida Times-Union (ville) (05.24.11):: Dan Scanlan

A federal grand jury has indicted a former employee of the Mayo Clinic in

ville, who could face life in prison for an alleged drug-theft scheme

that reportedly caused five patients to contact hepatitis C virus (HCV), one of

whom has died.

Testing done on 3,500 patients found two more HCV infections that “may be

related to the former employee’s action,” according to a statement Mayo released

Tuesday. Those individuals are receiving follow-up care.

The FBI, ville Sheriff’s Office, Food and Drug Administration and Florida

Department of Financial Services cooperated in the investigation. The man is

charged with five counts of tampering with a consumer product resulting in death

or serious bodily harm and five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by

fraud.

The indictment states that the man was employed as a radiology technician at

Memorial Hospital ville from mid-1992 through October 2004, and at the

Mayo Clinic from October 2004 through August 2010. He is alleged to have

injected himself with the powerful painkiller Fentanyl, put new needles on the

syringes, refilled them with saline, and returned them for use on patients.

Mayo fired the technician. The arrest report states that the man acknowledged he

was an addict and stole drugs at work starting in 2006. In August, his attorney

said the man did not know he had HCV.

Mayo says it has toughened its narcotics security measures and expanded its

drug-screening efforts for job applicants.

[Guest guest]

CDC 05-26-11

FLORIDA: " Fired Mayo Employee Indicted After Hepatitis Spread Through Reused

Syringes "

Florida Times-Union (ville) (05.24.11):: Dan Scanlan

A federal grand jury has indicted a former employee of the Mayo Clinic in

ville, who could face life in prison for an alleged drug-theft scheme

that reportedly caused five patients to contact hepatitis C virus (HCV), one of

whom has died.

Testing done on 3,500 patients found two more HCV infections that “may be

related to the former employee’s action,” according to a statement Mayo released

Tuesday. Those individuals are receiving follow-up care.

The FBI, ville Sheriff’s Office, Food and Drug Administration and Florida

Department of Financial Services cooperated in the investigation. The man is

charged with five counts of tampering with a consumer product resulting in death

or serious bodily harm and five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by

fraud.

The indictment states that the man was employed as a radiology technician at

Memorial Hospital ville from mid-1992 through October 2004, and at the

Mayo Clinic from October 2004 through August 2010. He is alleged to have

injected himself with the powerful painkiller Fentanyl, put new needles on the

syringes, refilled them with saline, and returned them for use on patients.

Mayo fired the technician. The arrest report states that the man acknowledged he

was an addict and stole drugs at work starting in 2006. In August, his attorney

said the man did not know he had HCV.

Mayo says it has toughened its narcotics security measures and expanded its

drug-screening efforts for job applicants.

[Guest guest]

CDC 05-26-11

FLORIDA: " Fired Mayo Employee Indicted After Hepatitis Spread Through Reused

Syringes "

Florida Times-Union (ville) (05.24.11):: Dan Scanlan

A federal grand jury has indicted a former employee of the Mayo Clinic in

ville, who could face life in prison for an alleged drug-theft scheme

that reportedly caused five patients to contact hepatitis C virus (HCV), one of

whom has died.

Testing done on 3,500 patients found two more HCV infections that “may be

related to the former employee’s action,” according to a statement Mayo released

Tuesday. Those individuals are receiving follow-up care.

The FBI, ville Sheriff’s Office, Food and Drug Administration and Florida

Department of Financial Services cooperated in the investigation. The man is

charged with five counts of tampering with a consumer product resulting in death

or serious bodily harm and five counts of obtaining a controlled substance by

fraud.

The indictment states that the man was employed as a radiology technician at

Memorial Hospital ville from mid-1992 through October 2004, and at the

Mayo Clinic from October 2004 through August 2010. He is alleged to have

injected himself with the powerful painkiller Fentanyl, put new needles on the

syringes, refilled them with saline, and returned them for use on patients.

Mayo fired the technician. The arrest report states that the man acknowledged he

was an addict and stole drugs at work starting in 2006. In August, his attorney

said the man did not know he had HCV.

Mayo says it has toughened its narcotics security measures and expanded its

drug-screening efforts for job applicants.