Griffin Hospital agrees to pay $1 million to settle insulin pen lawsuit

While attorneys for the plaintiffs and the hospital declined to comment Wednesday, during a hearing last week before Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis, plaintiffs’ attorney Marco Alloca said the settlement The agreement “was reached after several months of negotiations between the two parties.”

Alloka told the judge that the $1 million paid by the hospital will be deposited into a fund that will be distributed to people claiming to be members of the class.

Griffin Hospital’s attorney, Theodore Tucci, told the judge at the hearing that they had provided Alloka with a detailed list of patient names and addresses.

“Plaintiffs do not allege that they contracted any bloodborne pathogens as a result of the misuse of insulin pens by Griffin Hospital staff, nor is there any evidence that the misuse of insulin pens by Griffin Hospital staff resulted in the transmission of any disease to the class,” the settlement documents state. plaintiff.

It also goes on to state that the named class plaintiffs received free bloodborne pathogen testing and tested negative for any bloodborne pathogens.

“The Court hereby preliminarily approves the indemnifications provided for in the Settlement Agreement to the members of the Settling Class,” Judge Bayliss said in the order filed Wednesday. The Court preliminarily finds that the terms of the settlement are unfavorable to all class members when weighed against the likely outcome of further litigation. members are fair, adequate and reasonable. “

On May 16, 2014, Griffin Hospital CEO Patrick Charmel sent a letter to 3,149 former patients stating: “It has been discovered that it is possible to order medical treatment for patients who were hospitalized between September 10 and 20. The insulin pen was found to have been misused on January 1, 2008 and May 7, 2014.”

Insulin pens are injection devices containing multiple doses of insulin vials. These pens are for single-person use only and are designed to deliver multiple doses.

The disposable retractable needle attached to the insulin pen is removable, allowing the pen injector to be reused with a new, sterile, safe needle for each use.

However, even with a new needle, there is a chance that the pen’s insulin cartridge could become contaminated by the patient’s blood or skin cells returning, thereby potentially spreading infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, if the drug is used, hospital officials said. Used on another patient.

The hospital offers free testing and encourages former patients to come in.

“Any patient who tests positive for one of these three blood-borne diseases and was not aware of their positivity prior to possible exposure to Griffin will be provided with information about treatment options and provided with appropriate treatment (by Patients and their families decide) doctors) and the expenses will be borne by the hospital,” the hospital said.

Hospital officials later said five nurses were linked to the misuse of the fence and would undergo “re-education.”

Alloka told the judge that 1,067 people returned to Griffin Hospital for testing.

The lawsuit states that Anthony Diaz, of Ansonia, was hospitalized for diabetes in 2009, 2012 and February 2014, each time injecting insulin with a multi-dose pen.

Unclaimed monies from the settlement will be paid to a court-approved charity in accordance with the settlement agreement.