Patients at Salem Hospital are filing a class-action lawsuit because at least 450 of them contracted HIV and hepatitis due to poor intravenous drug practices.
The hospital’s owner, Massachusetts General Hospital Brigham, publicly disclosed the issue earlier this week and said affected patients had been notified. The practice was limited to a group of endoscopic patients and lasted about two years, according to the health care group.
The lawsuit, filed by Keches Law Group on behalf of some patients, targets Massachusetts General Hospital, Salem Hospital and 10 hospital employees. Affected patients are currently undergoing screening tests to check for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, which can have lifelong consequences. The screening process can take months or even years, the lawsuit says.
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against a Salem hospital after revelations that hundreds of patients may have contracted HIV and hepatitis.
The lawsuit names the plaintiff as Melinda Cashman, but attorney Jonathan Sweet said they are in the process of reaching out to 15 additional patients.
At the heart of the complaint is a neglect of policies and procedures by the hospital and its staff when administering intravenous drugs, which now could mean lifelong health problems for those affected. It also claimed emotional distress.
“Defendants’ negligent conduct has caused and continues to cause Plaintiffs and the Presumptive Class to suffer permanent harm, including additional testing and extreme anxiety and emotional distress, as well as the possibility of serious infection due to exposure or potential exposure to infection,” the complaint reads.
Cashman said the news sent her into a spiral of confusion and anxiety.
“My brain went to 800 different places and I couldn’t stop thinking. Do I need a kidney or a liver transplant? Or an infection that requires me to leave my side. And I’m the sole caregiver for my parents,” she told NBC10 Boston.
Sweet claimed that the endoscopic tools used in hospitals are single-use and multi-use and have the potential to spread disease. He said he expected the number of patients involved in lawsuits to increase and claimed the hospital was “disorganized” in following up with patients.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts General Hospital Brigham said Tuesday that no infections have been reported so far.
NBC10 Boston has reached out to Salem Hospital for comment on the lawsuit.