180 More Checks Go to Outbreak Victims

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

Another 180 checks have been mailed out by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office to victims of the 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak, according to officials of that agency.
Aides to Attorney General Maura Healey said Wednesday the checks totaling $5.325 million were issued Friday to the 180 victims or their survivors.
The fund was established by a $40 million grant from the U.S. Justice Department in response to repeated requests from U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, a Michigan Republican whose district was especially hard hit by the outbreak.
The outbreak sickened at least 778 patients killing 76 of them. It was caused by steroids heavily contaminated with fungus that were shipped from a now defunct drug compounder, the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass.
The deadline for applying for payments from the fund expired June 30, but it has now been extended yet again to Sept. 30. More than $18 million of the $40 million available was claimed by the Friday deadline.
According to the state agency those receiving the checks were notified in advance and were provided tracking numbers.
Some of the checks were mailed to attorneys representing victims, rather than the victims themselves.
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