DHHR urges patients of Beckley clinic to get tested for Hepatitis, HIV

UPDATE: The DHHR and Bureau for Public Health has released a statement:

“The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Public Health (BPH) is conducting an investigation of a healthcare-associated infection control breach associated with surgical procedures at Mountain State Vascular in Beckley.

At this time, no healthcare-associated infections have been confirmed among patients, however, out of an abundance of caution and as a standard practice for any infection control breach with potential risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission, BPH is recommending certain patients who may have visited the practice between October 27, 2020 and July 7, 2021, be tested for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV through their local health department or local healthcare provider.”

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BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) - An undisclosed number of patients of the Mountain State Vascular Clinic in Beckley are being urged to get tested for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV after possible exposure at the clinic.

A letter that went out to patients said the clinic self-reported the use of single use syringes for intravenous injections on more than one patient during invasive procedures at the facility.

The letter also said “please be aware that people infected with Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, and HIV may no experience symptoms for many years, so it is important to get tested even if you do not feel ill.”

The letter was signed by Commissioner and State Health Office Ayne Amjad.

According to Mountain State Vascular’s website, the clinic provides vascular and endovascular procedures, wound care services, and diagnostic services.

WVVA News has reached out to the DHHR and the Mountain State Vascular Clinic to learn more about the scale and scope of the investigation.

Steve New, an attorney with New, Taylor, and Associates, said his office has already been contacted by a couple of those patients. He said this case bears similarities to what happened at the Raleigh Heart Clinic in Beckley a couple years ago, when nearly a hundred patients with no risk factors tested positive for Hepatitis after receiving procedures at the facility.

“We’re so early in the investigation. We don’t know if the November 12, 2021, letter was the result of a cluster or whether it was self reported.”

“Obviously, the concern among patients is the transmission of something that could be potentially fatal to them.”

Stay with WVVA News on-air and online as this story develops.