7 Recent N.J. Medical And Hospital Nightmares You Should Know About

The arrest of a suspect connected to a N.J. HIV hospital scare involving 213 patients was just one of several recent health care horror stories involving local medical professionals in New Jersey.

Some of these medical professionals were connected to cases of alleged negligence, sexual abuse and other forms of criminality that impacted patients at local hospitals and medical facilities.

Frederick P. McLeish, 53, of Egg Harbor Township has been charged with allegedly taking morphine vials intended for patients and replacing the drug with a saline solution, potentially exposing 213 patients to HIV and hepatitis, according to authorities.

Shore Medical Center in Somers Point informed patients of the possible exposure through letters sent to them. Officials are investigating whether patients who received intravenous medications at the hospital between June 1, 2013 and Sept. 17, 2014 contracted the diseases, NBC10 reported.

Other cases include:

• A 40-year-old hospital worker from Princeton was charged in October with sexually assaulting a female patient at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, authorities said. Richard Smith, 40, of Princeton, employed as a patient care technician, allegedly lifted the hospital gown of an incapacitated 25-year-old female patient and improperly touched her. Hospital officials called police after being notified of the sexual assault.
• A pharmacist was arrested in January for allegedly stealing morphine and other drugs from a Hoboken hospital. Jonathan Kakowski, 28, of North Bergen allegedly stole several vials of the drugs, and used a syringe to extract the drugs from the hospital’s supplies 177 times, according to nj.com.
• A 42-year-old Stafford Township man who worked as a registered nurse at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township was arrested in 2013 and charged with stealing prescription drugs from the hospital where he works. Seth J. Kaplan, of the Manahawkin section, was stopped in his vehicle - a 2010 Cadillac STS - at the intersection of Neptune Drive and Nautilus Boulevard, according to a press release from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. The release noted that a search of Kaplan’s vehicle revealed syringes filled with liquid hydromorphine and morphine sulfate, along with a pill bottle containing various prescription pills.
• A 48-year-old Vineland nurse who worked at a group home for disabled adults was charged in 2012 with neglect after she gave a 56-year-old patient her entire daily dose of medication all in one setting, according to the Office of Attorney General. police said Tuesday.
• A New Jersey psychiatrist - otherwise known as the “World’s Sexiest Psychiatrist” - lost his license after having sex with a patient in his office and elsewhere, according to a state Attorney General’s Office release from October 2015. The complaint alleges that Theodore F. Jasper and a patient - referred to as “L.S.” - began to engage in a sexual relationship in late 2013. L.S. had been a patient of Jasper for over 10 years and had been treated largely for bipolar disorder, through the use of a variety of different medications and talk therapy, according to the release. The relationship also included L.S. sending multiple photographs to Jasper featuring her semi-nude and in provocative poses, which Jasper retained in his private files, according to the release.
• The New Jersey Board of Medical Examiners revoked the medical license of a podiatrist for allegedly engaging in sexual misconduct with a patient, inappropriate and lewd behavior with female medical staff at a facility for the developmentally disabled, and for unauthorized practice after temporary suspension of a license, according to a December release from the attorney general. Frederick Weintraub agreed to the permanent revocation under the terms of a consent order. The state found that Weintraub had “engaged in abusive, inappropriate and sexually exploitative behavior with [a patient]” and “repeatedly made lewd and inappropriate comments to female employees ... and that he did so in the presence of… residents who were [his patients].”