Hospital approves payment for hepatitis patients

Tuesday, November 26th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Eighty patients of the pain clinic at Norman Regional Hospital, where a nurse reused needles, have tested positive for exposure to hepatitis C, health officials said Tuesday.

More than 900 people seen at the clinic since its inception in May 1999 were tested after nurse anesthetist James Hill said he had been reusing needles up to 25 times a day while administering pain medication. Reuse of needles can spread the disease, which can lead to serious liver damage, cancer and death.

Of the 80 patients who tested positive for exposure to the disease, there is strong evidence that 38 cases were associated with injections received at the clinic, Dr. Michael Crutcher, state epidemiologist, said at a news conference Tuesday.

Health officials could not determine whether another 25 cases were associated with the clinic, and the remaining 17 cases were unrelated to the clinic.

Dr. Ted Bader, a specialist in liver disease, said advances in treatment for hepatitis will aid those who tested positive for exposure to the disease.

``I would expect that no one is going to die from this outbreak,'' he said.

Norman Regional Hospital will ensure that medical treatment is provided to people who were exposed to hepatitis C at the hospital and who have tested positive for exposure to the disease.

The hospital authority approved the medical coverage Monday night, subject to consultation with insurance carriers.

More than 60 civil lawsuits have been filed in Cleveland County District Court in connection with the hepatitis C outbreak.

The Oklahoma Board of Nursing is to hold a hearing in January to consider punishment for Hill.