Columbus Wellspring Pain Solutions notifies patients in steroid - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

A Columbus clinic is notifying patients they may have received tainted medication that has been linked to a nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis.

No cases of meningitis had been reported at Columbus Regional Hospital as of Friday afternoon.

Patients who received an injection at the Wellspring Pain Solutions facility from July 1 through September 28 are being urged to call the Wellspring office at 376-0700. The office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Concerns after hours should be addressed by calling the on-call physician with Wellspring.

If the patient is not a patient of Wellspring, they should contact the on-call physician at their primary care physician's office. If a patient does not have a primary care physician, they should contact PromptMed (372-8883) or visit the CRH emergency department.

Patients who received an injection in the specified time frame and are experiencing the following symptoms should visit the nearest emergency room. Symptoms of fungal meningitis include:

• Severe headache • Nausea • Fever • Severe neck stiffness • Sensitivity to light

Patients who received an injection in a location other than the spine should watch for the following symptoms at the site of the injection:

• Swelling • Pain • Redness • Warmth

Fungal meningitis is NOT contagious. The incubation period of meningitis is 90 days, meaning that patients might not notice symptoms for up to 90 days after receiving an injection.

"We are working closely with Wellspring Pain Solutions and following the guidelines from the CDC and State Department of Health and our own Infection Control Specialist Dr. Robert L. Baker to ensure that patients are receiving the appropriate follow up care," said Dr. Tom Sonderman, CRH Chief Medical Officer. "This is very serious and we are continuing to closely monitor information from these agencies for any additional recommendations."

(Info from press release)