Thousands of Oregon hospital patients may have been exposed to infectious diseases

Health care company officials in Oregon say more than 2,400 patients at Portland-area hospitals may have been exposed to infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C and HIV because of a doctor who may not have monitored the infection.

PORTLAND, Oregon. More than 2,400 patients at hospitals in Portland, Oregon, may have been exposed to infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C, as well as HIV, because of an anesthesiologist who may not have followed infection control practices, authorities said.

Providence said in a statement Thursday that it is notifying about 2,200 people treated at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City and two patients treated at Providence Portland Medical Center that the doctor’s actions may have them placed at low risk of exposure to possible infections.

Authorities are encouraging them to take a free blood test to detect infections. If a patient tests positive, Providence “will contact you to discuss the test results and next steps,” Providence said.

The doctor was hired by the Oregon Anesthesiology Group and worked at the two Providence facilities between 2017 and 2023.

The doctor also worked at Legacy Mount Hood Medical Center in Gresham for six months, starting in December 2023. Legacy Health said it was sending letters to 221 patients who may have been affected, KGW-TV reported.

In a statement, the Oregon Anesthesiology Group said the doctor was fired. The name of the doctor was not released.

“When we learned that the doctor had violated infection control practices, we suspended him, informed our partners Legacy Health and Providence, and then began an investigation that resulted in the doctor’s dismissal,” the group said in its statement. “Even though the risk of infection was low, new protocols and procedures were implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

The Oregon Health Authority said investigations into the breach focused on a doctor who administered intravenous anesthesia and employed “unacceptable infection control practices that put patients at risk for infections.”

OHA is working with Legacy and Providence on “their investigations of violations of infection control practices.” So far, “neither OHA nor hospitals are aware of any reports of illnesses associated with this infection control violation,” the health authority said.