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City Pulls Endoscopy Center's Business License

April 7, 2008 07:28 PM CDT

The Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada lost its business licenses Monday afternoon. The City of Las Vegas suspended the licenses for the two clinics in February but today decided to revoke them altogether.

The center must also pay a $500,000 fine. That money will be used to help patients who need to be tested as a result of possible contamination.

The doctors at the center of this investigation were not present at the meeting, but they have handed over their business licenses for the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada and the Gastroenterology Center, as well as money orders totaling $500,000.

It was not a lengthy meeting at City Hall. Rather than go through a hearing, city leaders and attorneys for the center reached a settlement -- the business licenses were given up and the clinics had to pay the fine.

The doctors can try to open up another clinic, but the city says the doctors who are attached to these old licenses have been flagged. If any of them tries to apply for another business license, the city will already know their background and their ties to the hepatitis scare.

There were a few victims of the clinics on hand to give their statements. Though they are pleased with the outcome of the hearings, many feel it's not enough.

"If that's all they can do, that's all they can do. Once these people go to court, they will probably get more than that, all doctor's licenses revoked and passports revoked so they can't get out of the country," said former patient June Ingram.

Mayor Oscar Goodman says he wants the money that was handed over to go towards getting patients blood tests. He also wants it to go towards hiring a company that can help patients get access to their medical records much faster.

Though many would have liked to have seen more done to the doctors, the mayor says under their jurisdiction, the city did all it could possibly do.