More than 3,000 patients of an outpatient New Jersey hospital have been warned that they may have been exposed to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
The patients received care at HealthPlus Surgery Center in Saddle Brook between January and Sept. 7, the New Jersey Department of Health said in a statement.
The alert follows unspecified infection control breaches. All of the patients who were potentially exposed to infections have been notified, the department added.
“Although the risk of infection is low, out of an abundance of caution, HEALTHPLUS and the New Jersey Department of Health recommend patients get blood tests for hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV,” spokeswoman Dawn Thomas said in an email obtained by HuffPost.
The facility was shut down from Sept. 7 through Sept. 28 following the discovery. Its instruments have all been cleaned and repaired and its infection control and medication dispensing procedures improved. It has also hired new staff and trained them on sterile processing, CBS News reported.
As of Wednesday, there are no known illnesses that have resulted from the infection control issues. Anyone affected can call 1-888-507-0578. HealthPlus is paying for affected patients to be tested, Thomas said.