A Newport News hospital continues to contact more than 300 patients possibly exposed to hepatitis by a nurse suspected of infecting patients with the disease in Texas.

A spokesman for Riverside Regional Medical Center says staff had contacted or attempted to reach about half of the 310 patients by mid-afternoon yesterday to schedule blood tests as a precautionary measure.

Officials say patients should receive results in about four days, but they would be notified as soon as the information was available. Riverside will cover the cost of the tests.

The nurse, 45-year-old retired Army Captain Jon Dale Jones is believed to have spread hepatitis in 2004 at an El Paso military hospital.

Riverside officials said Jones worked there from July through December last year, but they say they believe the risk of exposure is minimal.