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 Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, located on the southern New
Jersey coast outside of Atlantic City, sent letters last week to 213
patients who were treated with certain intravenous medications,
including morphine, between June 1, 2013 and Sept. 17, 2014.
"We have been working with public health authorities to determine if
patients could have been exposed to blood-borne pathogens at Shore
through contact with this employee's blood," said hospital spokesman
Brian Cahill in a statement.
Free testing and support are being offered to the patients, the
hospital said. New Jersey Health Department spokeswoman Dawn Thomas
described the risk of exposure as low.
 Frederick McLeish, 53, a former pharmacist at the hospital, is
accused of removing the drugs from vials intended to be used in the
preparation of intravenous medications for patients, and replacing
them with a saline solution.
His attorney, John Zarych, declined to comment on the case.
The hospital detected a problem and fired McLeish, of Egg Harbor
Township, after an internal investigation. On Jan. 21 he was
indicted by an Atlantic County grand jury on charges of drug
tampering, theft and drug possession. He was released on bail the
same day, according to a court official.
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On Monday, McLeish was arraigned in Atlantic County Superior Court.
A status hearing, at which he is expected to enter a plea, has been
scheduled for March 7.
McLeish had been authorized to prescribe, dispense or administer
medication, according to the Atlantic County prosecutor's office.
The hospital, state health department and Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention are still investigating.
(Reporting by Marcus E. Howard in New York; Editing by Lisa
Shumaker)
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