Nevada State Medical Association/Clark County Medical Society

Joint Statement Regarding the Recent Hepatitis Outbreak

 By Edwin C. Kingsley, MD, NSMA President and Weldon E. Havins, MD, JD, CCMS President and Executive Director

The Clark County Medical Society and the Nevada State Medical Association, representing 1,700 Nevada physicians, would like to express our profound regrets and utmost concern regarding the recent outbreak of hepatitis C in southern Nevada.   We express our most sincere regrets to all of those in our community who have been directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy. It is outrageous that any physician would allow any patient to be placed at unnecessary risk of a life-threatening disease and it is unconscionable that any physician would ever knowingly betray the trust of any patient.

We applaud the efforts of the Southern Nevada Health District, as well as those from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in identifying the source of the outbreak and for their continued efforts in determining the full extent of the outbreak. The importance of public health professionals sometimes goes unnoticed until they are needed in a crisis.  Their professional response to the report of several cases of acute hepatitis C is highly valued by the medical community.

The most important priority at this time is to reach every patient who might have been placed at risk for infectious diseases so they can be tested and treated if necessary. We encourage a vigorous and thorough investigation by public health officials, law enforcement officials, and regulatory and legislative bodies to fully define the extent of the outbreak and help define what measures need to be taken to prevent this from ever happening again.  The Clark County Medical Society and the Nevada State Medical Association are fully committed to assist these agencies in these efforts.  In addition, at the request of the Southern Nevada Health District and the State Health Division, the Clark County Medical Society and the Nevada State Medical Association are providing physicians with the latest information that they need in order to counsel their patients and the families of their patients.

After all potentially infected patients are counseled, tested and treated and all of the facts are clearly understood, Nevada regulatory agencies, professional licensing boards, prosecutors and the courts are all going to exercise their roles during the coming weeks, months and years. The Governor, the Attorney General and the State Legislature will also be called upon to review the oversight laws to see if they need any revisions. The Clark County Medical Society and the Nevada State Medical Association will cooperate with and assist in these Legislative and regulatory processes to make sure that this never happens again. Patient and public trust in the medical care system have been damaged, but can, and must, be restored. This can be only done one patient at a time.