Surgical technologist and known drug addict Rocky Allen has exposed over 6,000 patients to HIV and Hepatitis from dirty needles while employed short term, then discharged, at a succession of hospitals. Seattle WA’s Northwest Hospital, La Jolla CA’s Green Hospital, Glendale AZ’s Banner Thunderbird Medical Center, Phoenix AZ’s John C. Lincoln Medical Center and Englewood, CO’s Swedish Medical Center. All these hospitals employed Allen despite his track record of discharge from the Navy in 2011 for stealing Fentanyl and syringes, and falsifying records. Patients from each hospital have reported either extreme pain after surgery and/or testing positive for Hepatitis B or C, and although no known HIV transmissions have been reported, testing is ongoing and thousands of patients have not been tested.
Allen has been prosecuted in Denver Federal court for drug theft and tampering, and has pled Guilty. His sentencing will be on October 13, 2016. Here is a link to the Federal case information: US Dept of Justice. State health departments in Washington and Colorado have found deficiencies in the hospital’s drug monitoring and employee supervision.
Meanwhile, Denver trial lawyer James Avery has filed lawsuits in four states against the various hospitals on behalf of patients exposed to HIV as a result. Motions to dismiss the cases have been filed and overcome in Colorado and Arizona, being denied by the trial judges. Discovery will commence shortly. Trials are expected to occur in 2017.
Complete coverage here: Avery Law Firm