Army Nurse Suspected Of Hepatitis Spread

At Least 15 Allegedly Infected With Dirty Needles; Nurse Charged With Stealing Painkillers

(AP)  At least 15 military service members or their relatives are believed to have been infected with hepatitis by a nurse suspected of stealing their painkillers during surgery.

The nurse, retired Army captain Jon Dale Jones, was arrested this month in Miami on federal charges of assaulting three of those patients and possession of a controlled substance by fraud.

Federal prosecutors said they believe Jones spread the disease in 2004 during surgeries at an El Paso military hospital by diverting fentanyl - a powerful painkiller often used for anesthesia - from patients to himself.

The outbreak - and the nearly three-year-long criminal investigation that followed - apparently did not prevent Jones from continuing to work as nurse in Texas and at least two other states and Washington, D.C.

Jones, 45, has pleaded not guilty and was released on bond.

"We are confident that when everything comes out in court, he will be exonerated and acquitted," said Jim Darnell, the nurse's lawyer.

Details surrounding the case remain sketchy. It's not clear how Jones allegedly transmitted the potentially deadly disease to his patients or obtained the drugs they were supposed to have received during surgery. Jones has denied using dirty needles.

Court records show the alleged victims include the son of a former Fort Bliss commanding general, an active-duty soldier, the wife of a retired Marine Corps gunnery sergeant and a retired Army chief warrant officer.

Staff Sgt. Ivan James Westrick, 33, of El Paso, was one of those allegedly infected with hepatitis C after a grenade blast claimed his left hand, lower arm and part of his right hand.

Michael Volk, an attorney representing Westrick and seven other infected patients, has filed lawsuits against Jones and the nursing agency that employed him at the Army hospital, claiming the infections caused irreparable harm and forced them to undergo extensive and aggressive medical treatments.

Volk declined to discuss the cases with The Associated Press and rejected requests for interviews with his clients following a federal judge's decision to put those lawsuits on hold pending the outcome of the criminal case against Jones.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne disease that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer. It is treatable, but there is no cure. Symptoms vary but can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, pain and jaundice.

Court records show Jones tested positive for hepatitis C after the outbreak was discovered in October 2004. He was taken off the surgery unit but continued to work elsewhere at William Beaumont Army Medical Center as a civilian contract employee until June 2005. Army officials, who declined to comment on the details of the case, have said it's not clear whether he quit or was fired.

Paul Bracken, an El Paso lawyer representing Columbia Health Care, one of two contract companies Jones worked for at the Army hospital, declined to comment on the criminal and civil cases.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked Jones to the outbreak about a month after he left, saying he and infected patients shared the same strain of hepatitis C, according to court records. The FBI launched its own investigation a short time later.

Jones then moved to Washington, D.C., where he was a nurse at Georgetown University in August 2005, remaining there until he was fired in late 2006, according to Marianne Worley, a Georgetown spokeswoman. She declined to say why he was fired, but said the hospital is cooperating with investigators.

Jones next turned up in Florida, where last year he opened his own anesthesiology business, Jones Anesthesia, LLC. He was living there when he was indicted on Feb. 27 by a federal grand jury in El Paso on the assault and drug charges.

It remains unclear how much, if anything, agencies that license nurses in states where Jones has worked were told about the CDC and FBI investigations.

The Texas Department of State Health Services was notified that Jones tested positive for hepatitis C and it, in turn, alerted the Texas Board of Nurses.

It does not appear, however, that disciplinary action was taken against Jones, and his nursing license remained intact until he moved to Virginia. There also was no record of complaints or discipline in other states.

El Paso FBI Special Agent in Charge David Cuthbertson said CDC and Texas health officials were aware of the outbreak before the criminal investigation began. It was up to them to decide if others needed to be told about Jones or a possible public health risk, he said.

Experts said it is difficult to prevent a nurse, doctor or other health professional under investigation in one state from moving to and practicing in another.

Most state health agencies will not share complaint information with other states before investigating the allegations internally, said Dr. John Schufeldt, a Phoenix emergency room physician and lawyer who handles malpractice cases.

"It would not be the first time and it probably won't be the last," Schufeldt said of health care workers who move while under scrutiny elsewhere. "But it eventually catches up to them."

[MedCareProvider]

How can this happen ? www.medcareprovider.com

[zootallures2]

Don''t ask, don''t tell, amerikkka is going to hell.

[slim1h2o]

There needs to be a national registry of ''''killer'''' doctors and nurses.

Posted by pfd572 at 09:53 AM : Mar 22, 2008

I agree with your whole post,,,,Doctors are some of the worse crooks,,liars,,,and thieves.... I have no use for''em. And UNC tops my list.

[pfd572]

People talk about the ''blue wall'' when a crime involves a police officer, but the ''white wall'' (medical personal) is the most horrific self-protecting profession. How often do we read how a doctor or nurse commits gross negligence or a medical crime that results in death(s)and then goes on to practice in other states. Why? Because hospitals won''t share information for fear of being sued and doctors won''t testify against other doctors because of egos, fear of being next or fear of being shunned by other medical practitioners. There needs to be a national registry of ''killer'' doctors and nurses.

[nikkicatt1]

Please, America, go to your nearest VA Hospital and volunteer!!! We need to be the voices for our Vets. How can we do anything about the treatment if no one knows what is going on? Do you really think that ALL the horrible things that go on are reported in the news? Regardless of who started what, our soilders deserve better care. Next time you encounter a Vet, don''t just say thank you. Ask what you can do for them. STAND AND BE COUNTED.

[missingamerica]

One of the benefits of The Bush Push to Privatize...scandals and corruption in 3-D.

"Protect your nation, young America! Fight the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists no matter where you may find them! Nobody - and I mean nobody - has the God-given right to kill you unless they are one of our contractors!"

[mainemade]

This nurse should be charged with nothing less then attempted murder. Regardless of how the nurse spread this "treatable but uncurable" disease.

[stn_sage]

It''s unclear at what point in this tragedy, retired Army captain Jon Jones, moved from the Army to a private medical contract status. If he was active at the time some of his offences occurred---throw the UCMJ at this creep! Give him life breaking bricks at Fort Bragg or wherever it''s appropriate! If most offences occurred as a civilian---send him to a Federal jail for life!

It doesn''t sound like an accident to me! He knew he was infected and he continued to interact with patients in an unsafe manner? Unforgivable!

Interesting, too---is how the FBI and Texas officials failed to keep track of this guy and protect the public?! Would they have let him go if he was known to be carrying the PLAQUE?! Geesh! Govt officials committed a HUGE blunder on this! Next administration please...while we still have an America left!!!!

[beehive21-2009]

WE have great medical care compared to the pioneers.The druggies need to stay off if if they can''t control it and themselves, as they become a hazard to everyone.

[michellem99-2009]

We the People..For the People..By the People..I have one better Get out of yer cars..Keep them Home..Boycott car driving..Dear person ye are forgetting the military...Yer plan won''t be the answer..Boycott what.. The govt has a back up plan..We don''t know what it is. I don''t want to find out. A strike..If ye do it yer only hurting yerselves. What will shut the nation down is when oil runs out and that will happen.

[cantshutup]

well if you want the poorest care available go to a military hospital...my first gyn exam there, the nurse inserted the spakula? and was struggling to get it opened and she said, "This d@mn thing is rusty!" a rusty medical instrument in my v@g!na???...thanks USARMY!!!

CBS stop censoring us...

[cantshutup]

well if you want the poorest care available go to a military hospital...my first gyn exam there, the nurse inserted the spakula? and was struggling to get it opened and she said, "This *** thing is rusty!" a rusty medical instrument in my ***...thanks USARMY!!!

[forthepeopl1]

TO EVERYONE,

WE THE PEOPLE DO HAVE THE RIGHT TO SHUT THIS GOVERNMENT DOWN. AND THEIR IS A WAY TO MAKE OUR GOVERNEMNT STOP IN THIER TRACKS..

THE GREAT AMERICAN WALK OUT..THATS RIGHT FOR 3 OR 4 DAYS LIKE A THURSDAY THRU MONDAY..EVERY AMERICAN IN THIS COUNTRY DO NOTHING...I MEAN NOTHING BUT STAY HOME AND ENJOY THE FAMILY. ALL TRUCK,TRAIN,PLAINS,EVERYONE CAN AFFORD TO TAKE A FEW SICK DAYS FOR THIS..

IN ONLY A FEW DAYS OF NOTHING MOVEING IN THIS COUNTRY WOULD TELL CONGRESS AND THE WHITEHOUSE WHO REALLY RUNS THIS COUNTRY..THATS US AMERICANS... SO WHEN WOULD BE A GOOD DAY TO START THIS..

AND I MEAN IT DONT BUY ANYTHING....DO ANYTHING...DONT GO ANYWERE TO SPEND A DIME...

IT WOULD PUT THIS COUNTRY ON ITS KNEES..LIKE WE SHOULD

the great american STIKE.................

[e-mail]


----------------------------------
----------------------------------------
------