A Pennsylvania woman is suing Philadelphia-based pharmacy SunRay Drugs accused of exposing her HIV status to her neighbors, according to the Advocate.
Court documents say the woman, going by Jane Doe, received a phone call from SunRay Drugs in November 2018 letting her know her gender transition treatments and HIV treatments were going to be delivered to her home. She gave the pharmacy permission to leave the package in her apartment building's communal mailroom because the pharmacy had previously delivered the medications in a brown paper bag that did not say what was in it or where it was from.
When Ms. Doe got home, her medications were reportedly in a white SunRay Drugs bag with her name on it as well as the name of the medications and of her doctor. As a result, the court filings say Ms. Doe has been "the subject of gossip among her neighbors."
Ms. Doe said in court documents that she no longer feels comfortable or safe in her home but she cannot afford to move.
A SunRay representative told Ms. Doe's lawyers, from the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, that the pharmacy had "taken steps to assure the medication packages would be delivered in a manner that did not disclose the contents."
In Pennsylvania, it is illegal for healthcare or social service providers to expose someone's HIV status without written consent, according to the Advocate. The state's Pharmacy Act and pharmacy board regulations also require patients' pharmaceutical information be kept private.
Ms. Doe is requesting through the lawsuit that SunRay admit it violated those laws and is suing for compensation for emotional distress.
Read the full article here.
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