A fugitive from Florida who was on the run for nearly 30 years and living in Las Vegas found out he will be extradited.

Jack Hazen, who went by the name of Charles Free, was in a Las Vegas courtroom Monday morning when he learned that he will have to go back to Florida. Hazen was serving a seven year sentence when he escaped. He moved to Las Vegas, married and started a family and did not have any more run ins with the law.

Hazen and his family had been fighting the extradition due to his ill health.

More deficiencies have been discovered at surgery centers around the state. Director Mike Willden, who oversees the Division of Health and Human Services, says this is a “health care crisis” for Nevada.

On Monday, the Gastrointestinal Diagnostic Clinic, will receive an official deficiency notice from the state for reusing syringes. They are the latest clinic to be discovered using improper practices. The clinic, located at 3196 Maryland Pwky is still open for business and the state says the unsafe practices have ceased.

State health officials say they have inspected nine of the 20 surgery centers located in Clark County and have requested help for the CDC. Inspectors are expected to arrive early next week to help speed up the inspection process.

The following centers remain closed:

• Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, 700 Shadow Lane
• Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center, 4275 S. Burnham
• Gastroenterology Center of Nevada, 4275 S. Burnham 
• Spanish Hills Surgical Center, 5915 S. Rainbow Blvd.
• Gastroenterology Center of Nevada, 2610 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway

Willden and representatives from the state health division expressed “surprise, shock and frustration,” they were still discovering deficiencies after the story on the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada gained national attention last week.

“These are basis health control procedures taught at the 101 level. These are things that people should understand,” Willden said.

Read about the background of the doctors

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Of the 19 surgery centers in northern Nevada, 10 have been inspected and in three of those clinics, there were problems. Two of the facilities had no deficiencies but five others had deficiencies but they were not related to sterilization techniques.

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St. Mary's Outpatient Surgery Center - there was a lack of high-level sterilization of instruments between patients. At the Digestive Health Center, there were also similar issues with the lack of sterilization, and finally at The Sierra Center for Foot Surgery in Reno, staff reported reusing syringes.

Willden says, under the law, each center could face a $1,000 fine per day per deficiency.

Unsafe practices have been revealed at more health care centers. The legislature's health committee met Thursday to discuss the hepatitis and HIV alert at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada. But during the process, they found out unsafe practices are going on at more than the six clinics already pinpointed.

Testimony to Legislative Committee on Health Care

It's nothing but more unsettling news for valley residents. The Nevada Health Division says they recently inspected 13 surgical clinics, only to find staff re-using vials of medicine and syringes, even after being made aware of the risks.

Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie said, “I find it just unfathomable that we are having this problem. It sounds to me like the problem is more widespread than I ever imagined.”

Saturday Seminar on Health, Legal Issues For Endoscopy Center Patients

It's the last piece of news anyone, including lawmakers, wanted to hear. Unsafe medical practices stretch farther than just the six clinics that have already been closed.

Read about the background of the doctors

“We're finding problems at a variety of different levels related to medication re-use — in some cases, syringe reuse,” said Lisa Jones, Nevada Health Division.

The health division has recently inspected 13 surgical clinics and found unsafe medical practices at some — practices that were taking place even after news that 40,000 valley residents were possibly exposed to hepatitis and HIV.

The last time a full inspection was done on the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada was back in 2001. The Southern Nevada Health District says there's a possibility exposure to infectious disease could have spread back farther than the 2004 date they're currently investigating, but they don't know for sure.

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“I think the people who perpetrated this are absolutely monstrous. They cannot claim that they did not know the consequences of their actions, and I think it is absolutely heinous we have put the public in this position,” said Assemblywoman Susan Gerhardt.

For now, lawmakers are concerned with getting the Bureau of Licensure and Certification enough resources to keep up with inspections to make sure something like this never happens again.

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In addition, five certified registered nurse anesthetists who worked at the Shadow Lane clinic were asked to voluntarily surrender their licenses and certificates to practice in Nevada. All five complied. State lawmakers are now asking that the doctors also be given the chance to do the same.

Patients don't need to get tested at this point, because viruses have not been linked to any of these clinics. But state lawmakers say if the infraction puts people's lives at risk, they think the clinics should be closed immediately. The health division says each clinic has to be given due process.

Eight Clark County schools received honors in the Magnet Schools of America Merit Awards for their high academic standards.

There were more than 50 schools around the country which received an Excellence Award. Three of those schools were in Clark County and are Jim Bridger Academy of Math, Science and Technology, Roy Martin Middle School, and Sandy Searles Miller Academy of International Studies.

Five other Clark County schools received a Distinction Award. Those schools are The Advanced Technologies Academy, Jo Mackey Academy of Leadership and Global Communication, Mabel Hoggard Magnet School, Southeast Career and Technical Academy, Walker Bracken Magnet Empowerment School for Math & Science through Technology.

Only 119 schools nationwide received the awards.

The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada has been ordered shut down, along with five other clinics. Now Eyewitness News has learned when state inspectors went inside in January, they were busy writing the place up.

When red flags first went off about medical practices at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada the Nevada Bureau of Licensure and Certification moved in.

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Eyewitness News obtained a slew of records in the wake of the health scare, including internal memos from the embattled facilities.

Health officials have traced the source of infections to staff using single-dose vials of the anesthetic agent Propofol twice — allowing the blood of an infected patient to pass to the next patient.

The following centers are now closed:

• Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, 700 Shadow Lane
• Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center, 4275 S. Burnham
• Gastroenterology Center of Nevada, 4275 S. Burnham 
• Spanish Hills Surgical Center, 5915 S. Rainbow Blvd.
• Gastroenterology Center of Nevada, 2610 W. Horizon Ridge Parkway
• Gastroenterology Center of Nevada, 1815 E. Lake Mead Blvd. #207

An on-site survey in January resulted in a list of changes ordered by the state. Most notably, re-educating the staff that syringes and needles are for single use only.

The Endoscopy Center required employees to sign off on the changes and the clinic's infection control policy. Also, signs on properly cleaning equipment went up inside the building.

Read the Health District letter sent to patients

But that's little comfort for patients who are worried they will test positive for hepatitis.

“I think that it's just wrong, and I think that everybody should be outraged by what they did to the general public. It's crazy,” said one anonymous patient.

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Meantime, patients wanting answers started showing up at affiliated medical offices, including the now closed Gastroenterology Center of Nevada, where an inspector from the City of Henderson did not get a warm welcome.

“When they locked us out, when we tried to go and work with them, that really did raise concern to us — that there could be a public health risk at this facility,” said Henderson Public Information Manager Cindy Herman.

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Henderson is helping its employees and residents who may have been exposed to the diseases.

“I think this whole situation is frustrating. People are concerned about their health, their well-being. It creates great stress,” said Herman.

New Hep Cases May Not be Linked to Medical Center

The Bureau of Licensure and Certification had visited the Endoscopy Center several times over the years, responding to complaints. The last time trouble was found was over four years ago, and that was on their patient discharge procedures.

No one ever saw anything wrong with their syringe practices, which apparently went on for four years.

Henderson residents who were patients at the Gastroenterology Center of Nevada on Horizon Ridge near Eastern can call the City Attorney's Office at 267-1200 to leave your contact information, according to Cindy Herman, Henderson Public Information Manager.

Email your comments to Reporter Aaron Drawhorn

Former patients are looking for answers. They're even going back to the clinics, despite the fact the doors are locked. The potentially infected patients are showing up to these clinics only to find sealed doors and posted signs about the closure. The reality is setting in, and now there's a quiet anger boiling up.

Loren Ferron and Jerry Jones were just two of the patients who came to the Henderson office to find the locked doors and closure orders.

“Wonderful. So I guess I need to go find a gastroenterologist to begin with and go get an AIDS test. Great. More good news,” said Ferron.

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Now that six clinics are closed, patients who have not received letters are finding out through word of mouth or the media. There are few answers at this point. But Jones wanted to see it for himself to try to get some piece of mind.

“I wanted to come by and make sure that the door was locked and that I couldn't get in because I wanted to ask questions if they thought I needed to be tested,” he said.

Thursday, the legislature will address the health scare and what, if anything, can be done to protect people in the future.

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Also, within the next two weeks, the doctors who own the clinics and their lawyers must appear before the county commission, as well as the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson to see if they get their licenses back.

We have had a lot of questions about the last remaining clinic, the Summerlin office. City of Las Vegas inspectors say that location is following proper operating procedures and will remain open.

There is no update on the criminal investigation. District Attorney David Roger is waiting for evidence from the Health District and Metro investigators. If the doctors are found guilty of causing harm to patients, they could face one to six years in prison for each patient — potentially thousands of years.

Email your comments to Reporter Jonathan Humbert.

Clark County has chosen caution over cost by closing three more medical centers. The move comes after hepatitis and HIV scares at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, which failed to get its license back from the city Monday. Now all four centers will be closed until mid-march.

Read Clark County’s Suspension Order

Late Monday, the county suspended the licenses of Desert Shadow Endoscopy Center, the Gastroenterology Center of Nevada and the Spanish Hills Surgical Center.

Concerns that those centers practiced the same reusing of syringes forced the doors closed immediately.

Read The City’s Suspension Order Here

Although the centers won’t be seeing patients for awhile, hundreds of people are still getting letters from the health department asking them to get tested for hepatitus B, C and HIV.

Health District Sets Up Hotline in Hepatitis C Scare

Two years ago George Madden went in for a routine colonoscopy. Under anesthesia, he didn’t know what happened then. But now that the clinic that performed the procedure has been shut down for unsafe health practices, he tries not to worry that something may have gone terribly wrong.

Southern Nevada Health District Hotline is (702)759-4636 (INFO)

“I never figured that going in or a simple health check up would put me in this position, but I have to deal with it,” he said.

George is just one of 40,000 people being sent letters asking them to get tested for HIV and hepatitis B and C. He had no idea he was a possible victim until he received a letter Monday afternoon.

Lawsuits Filed Against Closed Medical Center

“I am not going to worry and cry about this thing, but for some folks they are going to bed and finally hitting the floor on their knees. This is the beginning of a nightmare and Vegas is in the middle of it and we have to survive,” he said.

In December, the health department linked a number of hepatitis C outbreaks to the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada.

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Officials say employees would use the same syringes on numerous patients.

At city hall, attorneys for the center fought to get their license back with no luck, and county officials delivered notices shutting down three other centers run by the company as well.

Attorneys for the center wouldn’t talk to Eyewitness News and patients like George are demanding answers, “You have to move rocks and get in the dirt to find out what the problem is.”

He can’t believe that in four years, no one working at the clinics spoke up.

“Not one person had a heart, or they flat out didn’t know what they were doing. Someone knew and we needed a whistle blower,” he said.

Health department officials say they are waiting on a second wave of possible victims from the incident. They also say patients need to get retested in six months, because it takes time for these illnesses to show up in test results.