• 10
  • February
    2012

A 37-year-old female nurse who worked within a Kansas nursing home facility was sentenced to three years in prison by a U.S. District Judge after pleading guilty to diluting painkillers with tap water.

According to court documents, the nurse has abused drugs in the past, including painkillers such as morphine, that are prescribed for her patients. In this case, the woman was charged with adulteration of a drug and product tampering after she was found to be adding water to a 105-year-old patient's prescription painkiller.

Also, she admitted to using Hydrocodone while employed at the facility throughout much of 2010 and using water to hide the fact she had taken the stolen morphine.

The nursing home issued drug tests after finding empty bottles of morphine, and although she failed, she passed two urine tests. However, the urine samples were provided by another employee.

In addition to the current charges, she had also been charged with stealing drugs at a nursing home in another Kansas city, and was placed on a type of probation called diversion. According to the vice president of operations for the company that manages the nursing home, they had no knowledge of the nurse's prior offense.

Her sentence was part of a plea agreement, and if she completes a drug treatment program, she may be able to be released from prison early. Although the nurse still holds a valid license, the agreement also stated she will never be allowed to work in health care again.

The case is not the first in nursing home nurses who abuse drugs prescribed to their patients. An assistant U.S. attorney highlighted two others who were charged with the same crime. This is making critics believe there is a large oversight of nurses.

Source: The Topeka Capital-Journal, "Nurse gets 3 years for diluting painkiller," Feb. 3, 2012