Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 | 5:05 p.m.
The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, where sloppy medical practices have sickened six patients with Hepatitis C and exposed about 40,000 others to that, hepatitis B and HIV, was closed down Friday by an emergency action of the city.
The city's business services division manager, noting that practices at the clinic were likened to "driving the wrong way down the freeway," said such behavior could not be tolerated.
State and federal investigators told the city that members of the clinic's nursing staff knew of the poor techniques, which included reusing syringes when drawing medicine from vials, and sharing vials among patients, resulting in cross contamination.
The nurses said they were told to cut those corners by their bosses, even though they knew they "risked contaminating patients with life communicable diseases."
One investigator told Jim DiFiore, the business services manager, "It's very hard to believe that they won't do it again."
The city offered a post-suspension hearing on Monday at City Hall.
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