Englewood, Colo.-based Swedish Medical Center is notifying patients who had surgery at the facility between Aug. 17, 2015, and Jan. 22 they may be at risk for HIV and hepatitis B and C, according to the Denver Post.
The hospital issued the warning after discovering a former Swedish employee, a surgical technician, was diverting drugs and possibly leaving behind dirty needles. The hospital subsequently removed him from patient care, his surgical technician's license was suspended and he is being investigated by the Englewood Police Department.
Swedish is offering free, confidential blood tests to all surgical patients who underwent care at locations where the employee worked — the number of potentially affected patients totals roughly 2,900. Currently, there is no known transmission to patients, according to the Post.