NH hospitals react to Exeter's Hepatitis C outbreak

Many local hospitals said the outbreak at Exeter unfairly casts their profession in a negative light, said Cristina Galli, spokeswoman for Parkland Medical Center in Derry, N.H. But several officials interviewed last week admit what occurred at Exeter Hospital could happen anywhere, given that it appears the outbreak was caused by an individual employee. "I do think this is something that could happen in most hospitals," said Delia O'Connor, president and chief executive officer of Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport. With strict protocols in place for storing and administering medicine and sanitizing medical instruments and equipment, area hospital officials said their patients' safety is already a priority.