LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — Several diabetic Pasco County inmates have filed a class-action lawsuit against a contracted health care company accused of contaminating the insulin supply of a local detention center.
In a news release, attorney Ashlie Case Sletvold, who is representing the inmates, accuses a nurse with the company Wellpath of administering an insulin injection to a diabetic patient who was HIV-positive at the Land O' Lakes detention center. The lawsuit claims the nurse placed the same needle used on the HIV-positive inmate into a vial to retrieve more insulin, thus contaminating it, before administering insulin to other inmates using the same contaminated vial.
Attorneys for the inmates say they're not sure how many people could have been exposed – but add that there are anywhere from 40 to 100 diabetics in the detention center at any given time, receiving injections twice a day.
The lawsuit also claims that the nurse who administered the insulin admitted that she used the same method throughout her time at the detention center, which is believed to have started in January 2021.
"Some of the people have received test results back through the facility, and others have not. It's varied. Some of the individuals as I said have been put on HIV prophylactics and some have not," said Sletvold.
The lawsuit asks that the attorney general investigate the issue.
In response to the lawsuit, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office says it is aware of the complaint and worked with Wellpath to investigate.
"It is our understanding that Wellpath took immediate corrective action upon being notified of a possible issue with insulin dispensation, and CDC exposure guidelines were followed as safety precautions," the sheriff's office wrote in a statement.
Wellpath says the nurse at the center of the lawsuit has been fired and that the company has "satisfied" all the reporting required by the state.
"All appropriate patient follow up was provided including testing and use of prophylactic medications. We are not aware of any clinical patient complications," the company said.