Free medical testing following unsanitary dental practices in Tulsa

Note that the Health Department reports that an initial test was postive for HIV, subsequent testing indicates that the 'index patient' tested positive only for Hepatitis C, not for HIV. Thanks to regular reader and poster Joe-Allen Doty for also remarking on that, and other known attributes of the HIV virus.

TULSA, OK – March 29, 2013, 1:30 p.m. CDT

Patient Information Hotline

The Tulsa Health Department continues to stress that anyone who was a patient at Dr. Scott Harrington’s dental practice should contact the hotline 918-595-4500 to speak to a public health representative about testing for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. Patient Information Hotline hours:

7 a.m. to 7 p.m.                Friday, March 29
9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.          Saturday, March 30
                                           Closed Sunday for Easter
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.                Weekdays beginning Monday, April 1

As of 7 p.m. Thursday evening, the hotline had received 407 phone calls. The Health Department appreciates the patience of those individuals calling the hotline and continues to provide one-on-one customer service to answer any questions the patient may have.

Testing Clinic

A special testing clinic has been established at the North Regional Health and Wellness Center located at 5635 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. for testing. Services will be provided on a walk-in basis starting on Saturday, March 30 from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and will resume weekdays beginning Monday, April 1 from 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Patients who receive a notification letter in the mail should bring their letter with them to the clinic.

 Patient Notification Letters

Patients of Dr. Harrington’s dental practice since 2007 will begin to receive notification letters over the course of the next few weeks. The notification letters will begin to be mailed out today in batches. Patients prior to 2007 may not receive a letter because that is as far back as the patient information was kept. A copy of the notification letter can be viewed on the Tulsa Health Department website.

The Health Department is not urging patients to contact their primary care practitioner, but to contact the hotline for questions or additional information. Patients of Dr. Harrington’s who reside outside of the Tulsa Metro area are advised to contact their local public health department  for an appointment for free testing. A directory of Oklahoma’s county health departments is available at http://chds.health.ok.gov.

While the index case initially tested positive for HIV in a screening test at a third party provider, subsequent diagnostic testing at the Oklahoma Public Health Laboratory indicated that the case was not positive for HIV, only Hepatitis C.

We will continue to provide situation updates on these websites:  www.tulsa-health.org and www.health.ok.gov