GMS Law Files Lawsuit Against Shore Hospital

An Atlantic City law firm has filed a lawsuit against Shore Medical Center in the wake of revelations that patients may have been exposed to HIV and hepatits B and C.

GMS Law alleges Shore and former hospital pharmacist Frederick McLeish were negligent and violated the Pure Food and Drug Act. In a press release the firm says they are investigating to find out how many patients were exposed and whether Shore notified patients in a timely enough manner.

 Shore sent letters earlier this month to 213 patients, warning them they may have been exposed to the blood-borne diseases via an unsafe injection process that may have caused them to come into contact with an employee's blood. The patients were treated at the hospital between June 1, 2013, and Sept. 17, 2014, and may have been treated with intravenous morphine or hydromorphone.

McLeish, 53, of Egg Harbor Township, was charged in January with morphine theft from the hospital, which suspended him in September 2014 and later fired him. Prior to that, he had a history of license suspensions and drug abuse, state Board of Pharmacy documents show.

Hospital officials have not confirmed whether McLeish's case is related to the letters.

Shore has offered to cover the cost of testing for patients who choose to do so at the medical center. Patients can also seek private testing.

The state Department of Health and federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating. 

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/alerts_breaking/shore-medical-center-sued-over-possible-blood-exposure/article_8f1c8fc8-ddc3-11e5-a755-d3939bad313a.html

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/shore-was-negligent-in-blood-exposure-incident-lawsuit-alleges/article_e60bb670-de6c-11e5-97cf-5f4d7f9510ba.html