PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After thousands of hospital patients in Oregon received notice earlier in the month that they may have been exposed to various illnesses by a former anesthesiologist, a class action lawsuit was filed in federal court against Providence and the Oregon Anesthesiology Group (OAG) on Friday, citing negligence.

According to court documents, the plaintiffs in this case are four Clackamas County patients who all received IV anesthesia during surgery at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center between March 2022 and February 2024.

On July 11, Providence began notifying nearly 2,400 patients who underwent anesthesia at two Providence and Legacy locations could be at risk of infections such as hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to the Oregon Health Authority.

Court documents further state that the anesthesiologist involved in each of the surgeries “failed to adhere to infection control procedures,” leading to the notifications.

“Since shortly after these notifications were sent out, we have been speaking with patients on a daily basis who were impacted by the potential exposure,” said Attorney Joe Sauder of Sauder Schelkopf, one of the firms representing the plaintiffs. “They are obviously distressed and concerned about their health and the health of their loved ones.”

The physician was employed by the OAG but contracted to work at Providence from 2017 to 2023. However, the physician now no longer works for OAG and OAG no longer contracts with Providence as of November 2023, the documents state.

It remains unclear which specific protocols were violated, and the exact timeline for the exposures has yet to be confirmed for the public.

The documents do not state any reported illnesses associated with the breach.

Providence declined to comment on the lawsuit and the Oregon Anesthesiology Group has not yet responded to a request for comment.