Meningitis diagnosis prompted W.Va. clinic probe
A health official says an investigation that found syringes were being reused at a West Virginia pain management clinic was triggered by patient who developed bacterial meningitis.
Health officials in Ohio and West Virginia advised patients of Valley Pain Management in McMechen (muhk-MAY'-kuhn) on Monday to be tested for blood-borne infectious diseases.
West Virginia's state epidemiologist Dr. Loretta Haddy says a patient contracted bacterial meningitis a day after a procedure at the clinic. Haddy told The Associated Press that health officials were notified last October.
The advisory is for patients who had an injection between the clinic's 2010 opening and Nov. 1, 2013.
Dr. Roland Chalifoux Jr. operates the clinic. His attorney, Elgine McArdle, says a subpoena from health agencies for a patient list violates health privacy laws.
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