Saint Luke’s and Saint Alphonsus hospitals are among the Idaho facilities that received drugs from a pharmacy in Massachusetts. Officials today released the names of nine health providers in Idaho that got injectable drugs from the New England Compounding Center.
It’s part of a nationwide investigation into a fungal meningitis outbreak that has killed 15 people and sickened 233, including one man in Idaho.
The first drug recall was for a steroid injection used for back pain. It was believed that drug may have been contaminated with a fungus.
Doctor Christine Hahn is Idaho’s epidemiologist. She says this new expanded recall includes a wide variety of drugs from the pharmacy, including those for joint pain and heart and eye surgery. “So far around the nation they have not identified any definite cases of illnesses around this more expanded list of drugs and medications, they’re just being very cautious because of the contamination that was found at the facility, they don’t want to take any chances.”
Hahn says officials are trying to figure out how many patients in Idaho might have received the recalled drugs. “The clinics are right now identifying and notifying patients and they’ve all been very forthcoming and very eager to make sure the patients are aware of the latest information, but we don’t know how many yet.”
With today’s expanded list of medical facilities, a total of eleven health providers in Idaho received drugs from the pharmacy. Here’s the complete list from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare:
Nine new facilities:
- Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center (Boise)
- St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center (Boise)
- Idaho Eye Care Center (Idaho Falls)
- Walker Spine & Sports Specialists (Idaho Falls)
- Idaho Eye Care Center (Pocatello)
- St. Luke’s Magic Valley Regional Medical Center (Twin Falls)
- Ambulatory Surgery Center of Burley (Burley)
- North Idaho Pain Center (Couer d’Alene)
- Orthopedic Surgery & Sports Medicine (Coeur d’Alene)
The original two facilities, which received the first injectable steroid:
- Walter Knox Memorial Hospital (Emmett)
- Pain Specialists of Idaho (Idaho Falls)
Copyright 2012 Boise State Public Radio
