THE LACONIA DAILY SUN, Friday, June 15, 2012— Page 3
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N.H. Attorney General investigating Exeter hepatitis C outbreak; suit filed
CONCORD (AP) — The probe into a hepatitis C outbreak at Exeter Hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab reached the courts Thursday, with the attorney general’s office announcing a criminal investigation and a civil lawsuit being filed on behalf of one of the infected patients. Twenty people, including a hospital worker, have been diagnosed with the same strain of the liverdestroying virus since state public health officials began investigating last month. On Wednesday, public health director Dr. Jose Montero said evidence so far points to drug diversion as the likely cause, which generally involves someone using a syringe to inject medication meant for someone else and then re-using the syringe on patients. Attorney General Michael Delaney said his office is working with police to determine if any crimes occurred. Meanwhile, a Concord law firm filed a
class- action lawsuit in Rockingham County Superior Court accusing the hospital of negligence. The case was brought on behalf of a 49-year-old man, referred to only as “Joe Doe,” who was treated for heart problems at the hospital in August and was notified this week that he tested positive for hepatitis C, a viral infection transmitted by blood that causes inflammation of the liver and can lead to chronic health issues. “He thinks he’s getting better from heart surgery, then he hears, ‘Hey, you might have a terminal illness,’” attorney Peter McGrath said. “My client’s wish is that this doesn’t happen to anybody else.” Since then, the man has suffered bouts of sleeplessness, high stress, and pain and suffering, according to the lawsuit. The suit alleges that the hospital failed to properly administer safe intravenous treatment, monitor safe blood samples and oversee the security
and control of its laboratory and cardiac units. “Negligent supervision is really what it is, not keeping eye on things,” McGrath said. In an interview with WMUR-TV, the hospital’s president and CEO apologized to the infected patients. “If it is determined that we’re responsible for this outbreak, we will be responsible for that cost,” Kevin Callahan said. Hospital officials declined to comment Thursday on the lawsuit, which must be certified as a classaction by a judge and make it through a special screening panel that evaluates all malpractice cases in the state in order to proceed. Officials initially asked anyone treated at the lab since August to get tested; on Wednesday, Montero said that request has been expanded to include all see HEPATITIS page 15
CONCORD (AP) — A report says nearly half of the inmates released from New Hampshire prisons in 2007 have returned within three years, mainly because they were taking drugs, drinking or avoiding treatment. The state Department of Corrections report shows that 515 of the 1,095 prisoners released in 2007 had returned to prison by 2010. The Telegraph of Nashua reports many inmates violated parole either by committing new crimes or breaking rules of their parole. They didn’t check in with their parole officers, drank and associated with
criminals. Corrections officers are working with community-
based treatment programs, referring more parolees to them for help and hiring drug and alcohol counselors.
Study finds more than half N.H. inmates released in ‘07 were back within 3 years
Independent voters will make or break Romney in Granite State DERRY (AP) — Perhaps no presidential battleground will test the leanings of critical independent voters more than the “Live Free or Die” state, the launching pad for Mitt Romney’s White House bid. President Barack Obama won New Hampshire handily four years ago, but former Massachusetts
Gov. Romney’s ties run deep in a place that has vacillated between Republicans and Democrats in recent years. Both campaigns are flooding the tiny state with money and attention, suggesting more may be at stake than four electoral votes in an elecsee ROMNEY page 9
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