(AP) Northern Westchester Hospital is notifying about 2,800 patients of possible exposure to hepatitis C after learning that a former employee is suspected of exposing nearly 6,000 patients in Colorado to the disease.

The New York State Health Department said Wednesday that it's working with Northern Westchester Hospital after learning that Kristen Parker once worked there.

Authorities say 26-year-old Parker may have exposed patients to hepatitis C when she was a surgery technician at a Denver hospital and Colorado Springs surgery center. She's accused of exchanging her used syringes with saline solution for ones with a painkiller meant for patients even though she knew she was infected.

She faces federal charges of tampering with a consumer product, creating a counterfeit controlled substance, and obtaining a controlled substance by deception or subterfuge.