Nurse accused of spreading hep C
Fentanyl diverted from surgery patients
As one recent case shows, it is difficult to prevent a nurse or other health care professional under investigation in one state from moving to another state and practicing.
In this recent case, at least 15 members of the military service or their relatives are believed to have been infected with hepatitis by a nurse who is accused of stealing their painkillers during surgery, according to The Associated Press.1 During the three-year criminal investigation, the nurse continued to work in Texas, Florida, Virginia, and Washington, DC.
Retired Army captain Jon Dale Jones, 45, was arrested in Miami on federal charges of assaulting three of those patients and possession of a controlled substance by fraud, according to AP. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond.
Details of incident
Jones spread the disease in 2004 during surgical procedures at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in El Paso, TX, when he diverted fentanyl from patients, federal prosecutors say. However, it's not clear how he could have transmitted the disease or obtained the medications. Jones has denied using dirty needles.
After the outbreak was uncovered in October 2004, he tested positive for hepatitis C, according to court records. Jones was removed from working on the surgery unit, but he continued to work elsewhere at Beaumont as a civilian contract employee until June 2005. It's not clear whether Jones quit or was fired.
The Texas Department of State Health Services was notified that Jones tested positive for hepatitis C, and it alerted the Texas Board of Nurses, according to AP. Apparently no disciplinary action was taken against Jones. About a month after Jones left, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked him to the outbreak. The FBI began its investigation soon after.
Jones worked as a nurse at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC, from August 2005 until he was fired in late 2006, according to AP. The hospital declined to say why he was fired.
Nurse also worked in FL, VA
Jones opened his own anesthesiology business, Jones Anesthesia, in Florida in 2007. He also worked as a temporary employee at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, VA, in 2007.2 Riverside is contacting the 310 patients who came in contact with Jones and is offering free hepatitis testing. Thus far, one patient has tested positive.3
One of the people infected in Texas with hepatitis C, Staff Sgt. Ivan James Westrick, 33, of El Paso, had suffered a grenade blast that caused him to lose his left hand, lower arm, and part of his right hand. Lawsuits have been filed on behalf of Westrick and seven other infected patients against Jones and the nursing agency that employed him at Beaumont. The suit claims the infections caused irreparable harm and forced them to undergo extensive and aggressive medical treatments. A federal judge has put those lawsuits on hold while the criminal case against Jones proceeds.
References
- Caldwell A. 15 Hepatitis infections tied to ex-nurse. March 21, 2008. Accessed at www.kansascity.com.
- Chufo VG. Hep C screening roundup continues. Daily Press. March 28, 2008. Accessed at www.dailypress.com.
- Chufo VG. One Riverside patient tests positive for hepatitis C. Daily Press. April 2, 2008. Accessed at www.dailypress.com.
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