Veterans to be Tested for HIV and Hepatitis After Improper Sanitization at Medical Clinic

About 1200 military veterans need to undergo testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C after personnel at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center discovered that rhinoscopes at an ear nose and throat clinic were improperly sterilized.

The testing involves veterans who underwent procedures in which the rhinoscopes were used at the clinic between January and November, 2008. Officials at the VA center, in Augusta, say the risk of infection is extremely small.

The disinfectant used to clean the scopes during that time period was designed for surfaces such as exam tables, and not one recommended by the rhinoscopes' manufacturer, although chemical activity is similar, according to Dr. John Brice, chief of medicine and acting chief of staff at the medical center.

Doctors use the rhinoscopes to exam sinuses and the upper airway passages of patients.

Brice says an employee was apparently not trained properly on the cleaning procedures. He says the problem began when a nurse at the clinic left, and rapid employee turnover followed. The problem was caught during an annual review of procedures at the clinic. Brice says the center is stepping up training procedures and increasing reviews there to quarterly, at the least. He says an investigation into the matter is ongoing, and that scopes, at this time, are being cleaned at another location.

Brice says the issue was confined to the clinic, and did not happen at the hospital there.

The center is this week sending out letters to the veterans who were possibly exposed to infections.

The VA center has a hotline for the veterans. For more information, call (706) 731-7229 from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekdays, or (800) 836-5561 after hours.

For more information from the VA, click here.

Georgia gets near-failing grades in new emergency care report

A national report released today gives Georgia’s emergency medical care near-failing grades.

The American College of Emergency Physicians second National Report Card says Georgia’s got some serious medical homework to do: Georgia ranks 31st on the list, says ACEP President Dr. Nick Jouriles:

“The emergency care system is a ticking time bomb made worse by the financial crisis, and a failing nation’s healthcare system.”

Statewide, “failing” stands for an “F” in access to emergency care.

The report also gives the state C’s and D’s for too little disaster planning, and too few medical providers serving too many uninsured residents.

Doctor Matthew Watson is an emergency room physician at Atlanta’s Northside Hospital:

“By not having all of the different subtypes of physicians available, this limits our ability to care for the patients in a timely fashion.”

And in a bustling emergency room, that means,

"If patients come into the emergency department that we can’t provide the care for, then that’s going to slow down the next patient that needs to be seen, which is ‘domino effect,’ it’s just going to slow down the providing of care to all of the patients.

The report says more than 80 percent of the state’s residents live within an hour of a Level I or II trauma center.

Watson says, however, that part of the problem is getting doctors and other medical providers to work with limited equipment in many parts of the state:

“In rural areas, you simply don’t have the facilities that could support open-heart surgery, or any of the other specialties at a smaller rural hospital.”

The report has some bright spots: Georgia ranks first in the nation for patient access to substance abuse treatment services.

As well, liability reform laws also get high marks for limiting frivolous lawsuits and lowering medical liability insurance premiums.

The report, partly funded by The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia Foundation, recommends training more emergency doctors and residents, critical medical specialists, registered nurses, and primary care providers.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of health care issues.

Hospital woos buyer

A northeast Georgia hospital is going up for sale. Leaders of Banks-Jackson-Commerce Hospital Medical Center – or BJC – have signed a non-binding letter of intent to sell. The prospective buyer is Marietta-based Doctors Hospital of Georgia. The goal is to find a buyer who will then build another hospital nearby. The hospital authority has wanted to build a new $37 million public hospital but couldn't afford the project on its own.

(Associated Press)

Grand jury indicts 63-year-old on murder and assult charges

A man police say shot and killed three people at a Columbus hospital in March because of a grudge has been indicted on murder and assault charges.

A Muscogee County grand jury indicted 63-year-old Charles Johnston on Tuesday.

Police say Johnston went on a shooting spree March 27 at Doctors Hospital because he was upset over the medical treatment his mother received there before her 2004 death.

(Associated Press)

Florida hopital patients staying in Statesboro

Sixteen South Florida hospital patients are staying at a Statesboro hospital after evacuating the Keys ahead of Hurricane Ike. The patients are from hospitals in Key West and Marathon, Florida and are recovering from either injuries or surgeries.

None of the patients could be released before their hospitals were evacuated, so a National Guard crew flew them in C-1-30 transport planes into Savannah, where ambulances took them to East Georgia Regional Medical Center in Statesboro.

"It really is not unusual for us to get 30-plus admissions per day," said Bob Bigley, the hospital's President and CEO. "The difference here was having sixteen in 30 minutes."

Doctors worked extra shifts to accommodate the new arrivals, who could stay through Wednesday. This is the first time East Georgia Regional has hosted evacuees. Previously, the hospital lacked the medical services needed to do so.

Budget cuts may close GBI crime labs

Law-enforcement officials confer near a Georgia Bureau of Investigation mobile lab in the parking lot of Doctors Hospital, Columbus, GA., after a shooting rampage there on March 27, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation may close two of its eight crime labs. Forensics labs in Midland near Columbus, and Moultrie, in South Georgia are on the chopping block.

The move comes after Governor Sonny Perdue asked all state agencies to cut their budgets by six percent.

The GBI’s John Bankhead says he’s still not sure what will happen to the employees:

"I don't know at this point how many it's going to affect. There will be some that will be offered transfers to headquarters lab, and maybe a regional lab, but at this point we'll have to make that decision once it gets closer to the date it would be effective – if it goes into effect."

The two labs cover a 46 county area. Evidence would be sent to the six remaining GBI labs in other parts of the state.

The legislature will vote on the proposed cuts in January. If approved, the labs would close by next July.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about the GBI.

Patient advocates: the doctor will see you. Now.

After three surgeries, Judy Sherer still had chronic pain in her left shoulder. She'd lost faith in her doctors, and in despair tried a new health benefit offered by her employer.

The service, Health Advocate, is a call-in center that helps customers find the right doctor, haggle over insurance coverage and manage other medical system headaches.

An advocate helped Sherer find a new surgeon — one who found metal shavings left in her shoulder by a previous doctor. The advocate also negotiated the charge for her physical therapy down to $40 per visit from the $200 she was told initially.

"It saved me a ton of money," said Sherer, 63, of Norcross, Ga. "I'm very, very pleased."

Health Advocate is one of a growing number of U.S. companies offering some form of advocacy services to medical consumers.

Currently, the health advocacy business is an industry with about $50 million to $75 million in annual revenue but only about a half-dozen companies of any significant size, said Richard Rakowski of Intersection LLC, a Connecticut-based investment and development firm that has researched the field.

More than ever, people need help negotiating the medical system, said Jessica Greene, a University of Oregon health policy analyst.

"We're asking consumers to make more complicated decisions, but the numeracy and health literacy skills of many consumers are not at the level needed to handle this new responsibility," Greene said.

Though some consumers are savvy enough to beat a billing overcharge or probe doctors' litigation histories, they don't have the time for such labors, experts said.

Indeed, the largest customers of health advocacy services are companies, not individuals. "The employers are interested because it means their employees are not on the phone taking care of doctor's visits" during work hours, Fischer said.

Some other companies have always focused on individuals, especially rich ones.

One example is $10,000-a-year PinnacleCare, founded in 2002 by John Hutchins, who created a concierge-like service at the Cleveland Clinic. He later used his connections to build a national network of doctors for his private health advisory start-up.

The Baltimore-based company is essentially a club for millionaires and billionaires that puts nurses and social workers in touch with members. Not only will they help members find top-level care, they will get them moved to the head of the line. PinnacleCare advisers will even meet the patient at a doctor's office or hospital.

PinnacleCare has about 1,700 member-families. One satisfied customer is Kirk Posmantur, 45, the founder and chairman of Axcess Luxury & Lifestyle. His Atlanta-based company markets handmade watches, private jets and other luxury items to the affluent.

"It's a no-brainer for those who've got net worth of $5 million or more," he said. "You've got people who advise you on your taxes. You've got people who advise you on how to manage your money. But what's more important than your health?"

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of health issues.

Refinery blast victims released

Two more burn victims from the Port Wentworth sugar refinery explosion have been released from Doctors Hospital in Augusta. Only five of the original 20 injured in the blast remain hospitalized. 13 workers were killed in the Feb. 7 tragedy.

Police: Hospital Gunman Hit Wrong Person

Investigators outside the emergency room of Doctors Hospital in Columbus, GA., where one of the triple homicides took place on 03/27/08. (Dave Bender)

A man who held a grudge against a worker at the hospital where his mother died shot and killed the wrong person, investigators testified Monday, citing a confession to the slayings of three people.


Johnston, suspected in triple homicide. (Columbus Police)

Charles Johnston, 63, told authorities he took extra ammunition and three guns to the scene because he "didn't know what to expect," the detectives said.

Johnston was ordered held without bond at the hearing in Columbus Recorders Court, where he appeared in a wheelchair. An officer shot Johnston in the shoulder after the killings Thursday at Doctors Hospital in Columbus.

A court-appointed attorney for Johnston has not been named. Charles Lykins, who represented Johnston at Monday's hearing as public defender for the Recorder's Court, had no comment.

The hearing came just hours after funerals were held for two of the victims — registered nurse Peter Wright, 44, and James Baker, 76, who was shot getting out of his car in the parking lot.
Police say Johnston held a grudge and targeted a male nurse who had worked at the hospital who he said had provided negligent care to his mother before her death in 2004.

Detective Joby Duncan said that he took Johnston's statement after he signed a waiver of his rights, and that the confession was videotaped.

"He just told me that that morning he woke up and was tired of thinking about what happened to his mother years ago," Duncan said.

Johnston told police he went to the hospital twice Thursday to look for "an individual he knew as Peterson to settle something with him," Duncan said.

Johnston left when he didn't find the person he was looking for, then returned about an hour later and began shooting, Duncan said.

Wright, who was working on the fifth floor, was shot after Johnston heard someone call him 'Pete,' police said.

"Peter Wright never attended (Johnston's) mother at the Doctors Hospital," police Lt. Charles Kennedy said. "I am assuming he just made a mistake because he overheard a guy being called Peter.

"He just mistakenly shot Peter Wright thinking it was Peterson," he said.

Next shot was Leslie Harris, a 44-year-old administrative assistant who was shot in the chest after he happened upon the shooter.

Duncan said Johnston later shot Baker in the head, wrongly believing Baker pulled into a parking space in front of him to "prevent him from escaping."

Nurse Karen Pridgen was one of several witnesses at the hearing. Visibly shaken, she recalled seeing Wright and Harris shot and hearing gunfire and some of what Johnston said to Wright.

"I heard him say ... 'You killed my mama,'" Pridgen said.

Johnston did not testify. Kennedy said police are not trying to find out the identity of the nurse Johnston was looking for, saying the investigation is focused on the triple homicide.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the shootings.

(The Associated Press)

Refinery explosion victim leaves hospital in Augusta

Another victim of the sugar refinery explosion at Port Wentworth in February has been discharged from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta.

The patient, as well as four others, are receiving rehab at the hospital. Six remain hospitalized there. Three are in critical condition, while one is in serious condition and two more are in fair condition.

Thirteen people have died as a result of the explosion.

Names of Columbus shooting victims released

Columbus Police Command and Control van outside of the emergency room of Doctors Hospital in Columbus, GA., where one of the shootings took place, on Thursday, March 27, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Authorities have identified two of the three victims of Thursday's revenge shooting at Doctors Hospital in Columbus.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren identified the two as 44-year-old Peter D. Wright and 76-year-old James David Baker. A third person who was shot and killed in the attack has not yet been identified.

Wright was shot inside the hospital and Baker was shot and killed a short time later outside, in the hospital's parking lot.

Charles Johnston, who police say shot and killed the three, has been confirmed as having taught for the Muscogee County School District:

"Charles Johnston was a full-time employee for MCSD from September 1973 to December 1973 at Rothschild Junior High (Teacher's Aide) before resigning. In March 1997 he enrolled in the substitute training class and is last listed as receiving pay from the MCSD in May 2007 as a substitute teacher,"

Valerie Fuller, MCSD director of communications said in a statement released Friday.

Click here for more GPB coverage of the shooting attack.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

Columbus: Third shooting victim dies

Law-enforcement officials confer near a Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime scene van in the parking lot of Doctors Hospital, Columbus, GA., on March 27, 2008. (Dave Bender)

A person who was shot in the head and critically wounded in Thursday afternoon's shooting spree at Doctors Hospital in Columbus, died of their wounds this evening.

The individual was shot in the hospital's parking lot by a man who police said bore a grudge against staffers who had treated his mother several years earlier. The man shot and killed the other two victims in the hospital a short time earlier.

The three have not been identified as this update was posted, pending notification of their families.

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren said 63-year-old Charles Johnston, a retired Muscogee County schoolteacher killed a male nurse who had taken care of his mother, who had died at the hospital from natural causes:

“The individual had carried a grudge against at least one of the nurses involved in her care from 2004 until today. He came here to the hospital carrying three weapons. He was carrying a nine millimeter automatic, a .380 automatic and a .32 revolver.”

Larry Sanders, CEO of Columbus Regional Hospital released a statement over the slaying:

"On behalf of the board of directors, medical staff and all the employees of Doctors Hospital and the entire Columbus Regional family, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the vicitms in this shooting. We are deeply saddened at the tragic loss of these three lives. We are reminded of how a tragedy can strike without warning and that life is precious. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of their families. We ask that everyone in the community keep them in their thougts and prayers as well."

Information about family members who were at the hospital at the time of the shootings is available at 706-494-4057.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about the shootings at Doctors Hospital.

Columbus: 2 dead, 2 wounded in hospital shooting (updated)

Columbus Police Command and Control van outside of the emergency room of Doctors Hospital in Columbus, GA., where one of the shootings took place, on March 27, 2008. (Dave Bender)

A Muscogee County man went on a shooting spree at Doctors Hospital Thursday afternoon, killing two people and wounding a third.



Columbus Chief of Police Ricky Boren talking with reporters at the scene of the shooting, Doctors Hospital, Columbus, GA., on March 27, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Columbus Police Chief Ricky Boren says 63-year-old Charles Johnston, reportedly a retired Muscogee County schoolteacher killed a male nurse who had taken care of his mother, who had died at the hospital from natural causes:

“The individual had carried a grudge against at least one of the nurses involved in her care from 2004 until today. He came here to the hospital carrying three weapons. He was carrying a nine millimeter automatic, a .380 automatic and a .32 revolver.”

Boren, who told reporters that police received a call for assistance at 2:17 pm, says Johnston then shot and killed a second person, and fled to the parking lot. There, he then shot and critically wounded a third individual traveling in a vehicle, as they pulled into the lot.


Law-enforcement officials confer near a Georgia Bureau of Investigation crime scene van in the parking lot of Doctors Hospital, Columbus, GA., on March 27, 2008. (Dave Bender)

Police say the suspect then opened fire on a Muscogee County deputy marshal and a Columbus police office who had been called to the scene. Both returned fire, and were unhurt.

A police detective who arrived on the scene fired at Johnston, wounding him. Johnston was operated on and is in police custody.

Information about family members who were at the hospital at the time of the shootings is available at 706-494-4057.

Sugar refinery explosion victim released from hospital in Augusta

A victim of the sugar refinery explosion in Port Wentworth has been released from the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta.

The patient, who the hospital did not identify, is continuing to receive treatment at the Doctors Hospital Rehab Unit.

Nine patients remain at the burn center. Three are in critical condition, three are in serious condition and three are in fair condition.

Thirteen people have died as a result of the explosion in February.

12th sugar plant blast victim dies

Imperial Sugar plant the morning after the blast and blaze. (/AP Photo)

A twelfth person has died as a result of an explosion at the Imperial Sugar refinery earlier this month. Another patient died Tuesday evening at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta. According to spokeswoman Beth Frits, eleven patients from the plant in Port Wentworth remained in critical condition at the Augusta hospital, and another was in serious condition. Investigators say the explosion at the refinery near Savannah February 7th was fueled by airborne sugar dust. They have not yet determined what ignited it.

Click here for more GPB News reports about the disaster.

11th worker dies from sugar refinery explosion

A hospital spokeswoman says another patient has died from injuries suffered in the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion.

Beth Frits of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital says one of the hospital's 15 patients died Saturday evening. Hospital officials declined to release the patient's name.

A total of 11 workers died from the February 7 blast at the refinery in Port Wentworth, Georgia.

Investigators say the explosion was fueled by airborne sugar dust but they have not yet determined what ignited the dust.

Fourteen other patients remained Sunday at the Augusta hospital, including 12 in critical condition and two in serious condition.

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Imperial Sugar refinery disaster.

10th burn victim dies

The Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital in Augusta is reporting that one of its 16 patients burned in the Imperial Sugar Co. explosion died this afternoon. Thirteen Imperial Sugar Co. patients from the February 7th explosion remain in critical condition, and two in serious condition. A memorial service for the ten Imperial Sugar Co. employees, who died as a result of the explosion, will be held at the Savannah Civic Center tomorrow at 1 p.m.

18 refinery victims in Augusta expected to survive

Some hope amid the tragedy of the explosion of a sugar refinery near Savannah.

Doctors say 18 victims under treatment at a burn center in Augusta are likely to survive serious burns, despite 15 of the patients being in critical condition.

All of the victims suffered burns over 30 percent of their bodies. About half suffered burns over more than 50 percent of their bodies. Most were third degree burns.

The 15 who are in critical condition are in medically induced comas, and on ventilators.

The blast burned the victims on their faces, torsos, upper extremities and legs.

"Through the weekend, they will all be going into surgery," says Dr. Fred Mullins, medical director of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta. The center is the closest burn treatment center to Savannah, even though it's more than 140 miles away. "Through the weekend they will all be going into surgery. During surgery, there is blood loss as well as the burn itself can create the need for blood and they'll require multiple, multiple transfusions."

That situation has blood banks in Augusta appealing to the public to donate blood and platelets over the next few weeks.

Mullins says the victims were very close to the explosion.

"Just by talking to some of the patients who were not intubated and looking at the patients that were, they were right there at the explosion," says Mullins. "Some of the patients told me that after the explosion occurred, it blew them greater than ten feet up in the air."

Doctors say recovery will take a long time.

It will be months before some of the patients are even able to leave the hospital.

The Associated Press is reporting that about 50 people were injured in the blast.

There have been conflicting reports on the number of people who died.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the disaster.

Twister-hit hospital selling bricks for new building

Destroyed vehicle in SRH parking lot. Hospital is in the background, March 2, 2007. (Dave Bender)

The hospital destroyed in a tornado that ripped through Americus nearly a year ago is for sale - one brick at a time.

Sumter Regional Hospital is selling bricks from the building ripped apart by the March 1st, 2007, storm to help pay for a new hospital. For months, doctors treated more than 5,400 patients in eight counties in tents set up near the hospital.

Since then, the facility has operated in a temporary structure.

Basic medical triage services were held in several tents like these, set up in the hospital's parking lot. March 2, 2007. (Dave Bender)

The bricks go for $25, $50 and $100 each. For more information, contact the hospital's marketing department at (229) 928-4000.

(Dave Bender)
The tornadoes killed nine people in Sumter, Taylor and Baker counties, and caused more than 210 million dollars in damage, demolishing dozens of Georgia homes and businesses.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the twister and its aftermath.

(The Associated Press)

State Supreme Court overturns two malpractice suits

In a pair of decisions, Georgia’s Supreme Court overturned two medical malpractice lawsuits.

The Court ruled a Glynn County man cannot sue doctors who mistakenly infected him with HIV.

The patient was two moths old when doctors when doctors at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital performed open-heart surgery, using contaminated blood.

The patient suffered a decade of health problems attributed to his heart condition. He then sued in 2001 after discovering he was HIV-positive.

Attorneys for the defense argued the time to file a lawsuit had passed.

In its ruling, the Court said the open-heart surgery did not cause the patient to develop AIDS, but that a lack of treatment led to the illness.

In another ruling today, the Court says a judge cannot award money in a wrongful death case if the jury chooses to award nothing.

The family of a baby, who died at 15 months, says doctors at Columbus Healthcare System failed to diagnose a rare blood condition.

However, at trail, expert testimony showed the baby died due to massive head injuries.

A jury awarded $100,000 for the child’s pain and suffering, but no damages for the infant’s wrongful death.

Later, the judge added $1 million, saying it was not right to acknowledge malpractice, but award nothing for a wrongful death.

The Supreme Court overturned the judge’s $1 million award and has sent the case back for re-trial.