Officials in York Region are advising clients of a Richmond Hill clinic to get tested for blood-borne infections.
The Municipality of York said on June 7, the Huai Kui Xu TCM Clinic, located at 150 Berwick Cres. in Richmond Hill, was inspected.
“The investigation found the devices used for wet cupping were not properly cleaned and sterilized between clinic clients and single-use micro-needle/derma rollers were reused on multiple clients,” a news release read.
The municipality said that while the risk to clients who received wet cupping, micro-needling or derma rolling services is considered low, “clients may have been exposed to blood borne infections.”
“As a precaution, clients who received one or more of these services at this clinic should seek medical follow-up and be tested for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by their family doctor, nurse practitioner or at a walk-in clinic,” a news release read.
The municipality said anyone who visited the clinic from Oct. 1, 2015, to June 7, 2023, should be tested as a precaution.
According to the release, as soon as the municipality identified “inadequate infection prevention and practices,” York Region Public Health issued a Section 13 order under the Health Protection and Promotion Act to stop the clinic from performing the services of concern.
“Following the order, York Region completed a thorough investigation that included multiple site visits, a risk assessment, a literature review and consultations with Public Health Ontario and field experts,” the release said. “For the health and safety of residents, York Region issued this public notification once the investigation was complete as the clinic had inadequate client documentation practices and we are not able to follow-up with clients directly.”
The municipality said York Region Public Health is currently permitting the clinic operator to “provide assessments and provision of Chinese herbal medicine” and said it “continues to work with the operator to ensure infection prevention and control practices are followed.”
The clinic will be inspected again to make sure all conditions of the order have been met, the municipality said, adding that the services can only resume once the operator has “gained full compliance.”
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