According to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the state's Regulated Industries Complaints Office (RICO) alleged that a licensed nurse working for a treatment center operating as Nova Luna Center and ʻAi Pono Hawaii diverted four Adderall tablets from a patient's medication pill packet. The allegation states that she replaced the missing tablets with four Seroquel tablets, leaving the packet looking intact while the patient's stimulant medication was gone.
RICO also alleged that the nurse had no authorization to possess, obtain, furnish or administer the Adderall herself. The conduct was cited as a potential violation of the Hawaii nursing licensing statute and two provisions of the Board of Nursing's administrative rules covering unprofessional conduct involving controlled or prescription drugs.
The release indicates the employer terminated the nurse over the incident, and the matter was then brought before the Hawaii Board of Nursing. The release does not describe how the substitution was first noticed, whether by a medication count, a patient report or another review.
The case was resolved through a settlement agreement approved by the Board of Nursing. Under Hawaii's disciplinary process, respondents enter such agreements as a compromise of claims and to avoid the cost of a contested hearing, so the settlement is not a finding of liability. The specific sanction imposed does not appear in the portion of the release that was reviewed.