The Department of Health and Human Services hasrevised its planfor testing patients who were exposed to the Hepatitis C outbreak at Exeter Hospital.
DHHS says that during the past week the estimated number of patients who might have been exposed to Hepatitis C has been reduced to around 3,300, because many of the names on the list were repeats. They say in the new plan to test those patients there are 4 locations: in Stratham, Plaistown, Manchester and Rochester starting August 10th.
Patients can also be tested at Exeter Hospital, or at the Hampton and Pease Satellite clinics of Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
The state epidemiologist Sharon Alroy-Preis says DHHS needed this past week to prepare the logistics of these testing arrangements, which they believe will be better for patients.
Alroy-Preis: We realized that over 50% of the people on the list are age 50 or older, with a significant portion of people on the list being 70 or even 80. And we didn’t want those people to be waiting for long periods of time in line.
The 3,300 patients to be tested will bring the total number of patients exposed to Hepatitis C to 4,400, with 30 confirmed infections.
The following table includes the dates and locations of the DPHS clinics that patients will be able to choose from.
Full Testing Site Information
Other testing options are also available. These include the following locations:
- Exeter Hospital, August 13-15, 8:30 AM-5 PM
You must schedule an appointment directly with Exeter Hospital by calling 603-580-6124.
- Portsmouth Regional Hospital – Hampton, Monday-Thursdays, 8 AM-4 PM
- Portsmouth Regional Hospital – Pease Trade Port, Monday-Thursdays, 8 AM-4 PM
For the Hampton and Pease sites, no appointment is necessary, but patients will be asked to present the letter sent to them by DHHS and proper identification.
