List of babies exposed to active Tuberculosis could fluctuate

The number of children exposed to Tuberculosis by an infected healthcare worker at Providence Memorial Hospital continues to grow.

The City’s Public Health Director on Monday night said 45 new babies were not included in Providence’s initial list of 706 babies who had come in close contact with the ill employee.

The 45 babies were missed because of a clerical error by Providence, according to Health Department.

The hospital used billing codes in their investigation to determine which babies came in contact with the infected worker, said Robert Resendes, the City’s Public Health Department.

Resendes said 45 babies who were treated for jaundice with extensive phototherapy at Providence had a different billing code than the other babies and the hospital missed them in their assessment. Jaundice is a common condition that affects 50% to 80% of newborns, depending on whether they’re full term.

The Health Department alerted Providence of the discrepancy when concerned parents who were not on the initial list contacted the health department, said Resendes.

However, ABC-7 has learned there are more babies who were exposed to TB and who are not on either of Providence’s lists and whose parents have not been contacted by the hospital.

I gave birth to my son at Providence in mid July and when I called on Friday, the Health Department told me he was not on the initial list of 706 babies and he did not need to be screened for the dangerous disease. When I called on Monday to double check, the health department told me the complete opposite and said my son must be tested as soon as possible because the infected employee was working the day he was born.

When I inquired about the discrepancy, Resendes said it was most likely because my son was part of the 45 children who were treated for jaundice and were not included in Providence’s initial assessment.

However, Tuesday morning, Resendes notified me my son was not on the second list of 45 children either. He said there are other parents in my situation and the number of affected children is bound to increase.

I have not been contacted by the hospital through the phone or via mail.

It’s unclear how many parents are in my situation: their children put at risk and who have not been contacted by the hospital.

Resendes said the Centers for Disease Control will send an investigator, an epidemiologist and a field officer to El Paso to assist the Health Department.

According to the health department, infants younger than six months will be prescribed medication for a three month window even if their TB tests are negative.

Rebecca Rincones received the letter notifying her her two month old son should be screened and after learning it would initially take until mid October to get her son screened with the health department, she went to her personal pediatrician who gave her an official referral to Providence to get the TB tests. The letter states the tests will be provided by the health department or Providence yet Rincones said the hospital would not give her son the TB skin test. “They sent me to all different sections of the hospital and every time I got to the next place they told me to go, nobody could give me an answer. Until I finally made it to the administrator and she was completely clueless,” she said.

After the Health Department doubled the number of babies its testing every day, Rincones was able to make an appointment to test her son on Wednesday.

In a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Providence officials said it’s working with the Health Department to test all of the identified babies in the next three weeks.