Contrary to a communication sent out by the Grand Traverse Health Department, Munson Medical Center has never purchased any steroid medication currently suspected in an outbreak of aspergillosis meningitis. Munson Director of Pharmacy Clare Coles, PharmD, said the hospital has received several inquiries from people with concerns about the medication methylprednisolone. “We are aware of a letter sent out by the Grand Traverse Health Department that has inaccurate information that associates Munson Medical Center’s Physical Medicine Department with a suspected lot of the medication,” says Coles. “Munson Medical Center has never purchased this medication from the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass., and it has not been used in the treatment of our patients.” 

Munson Medical Center’s Pharmacy Department is working with the Grand Traverse Health Department to determine where the medication may have been acquired within the region in order to ensure the safety of patients in northern Michigan. There have been no cases of aspergillosis meningitis identified to date among Michigan patients. While the source of these infections is not yet known, there is no risk of person-to-person transmission. Public health officials, including CDC and the Food and Drug Administration, are currently evaluating a number of different products used during these procedures and conducting outreach to pain clinics in multiple states.