A woman said she discovered a used medical device in the middle of Jacksonville, Fla.-based Baptist Medical Center South's parking lot April 9, according to News4Jax.
The woman, identified as Erin, said she discovered a Vacutainer — a device used to draw blood — in the middle of the hospital's parking lot after visiting her mother at Baptist Medical Center South.
"The little tubing, you [could] still see someone's blood in it. Of course, I was shocked," the woman told News4Jax.
The television station also received a photo depicting three needles that had been left inside a nearby gas station bathroom. It is unclear if the needles came from the hospital.
A Baptist Health spokesperson told News4Jax in a statement April 10: "To say where the Vacutainer came from would be pure speculation on our part. We don't alert police to the discovery of one random item like this, but we do take these reports seriously.
"All medical waste must be handled with extreme care. To ensure the safety of our patients and their families, Baptist Health facilities have policies in place detailing the proper disposal of any device used to draw blood — regardless of whether or not it contains a needle. Accordingly, we take every precaution to be sure that team members who work closely with biological waste are appropriately trained, informed of these policies and aware of the locations of designated disposal canisters."
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