In March 2015 the New Hampshire Board of Nursing suspended, on an emergency basis, the practical nursing license of a nurse from Claremont. The board's action responded to allegations of drug diversion activity at two county nursing homes.
The matter reached the board through a complaint from the director of nursing at the Cheshire County Nursing Home in Westmoreland, together with information obtained from the Sullivan County Nursing Home, where the nurse had previously been employed. The press release did not identify the drugs involved.
On March 20, 2015, the board issued an Order of Emergency License Suspension and Notice of Hearing. By statute the board may order immediate suspension of a license in cases that pose an imminent danger to public health, safety or welfare. A hearing was scheduled for March 27, 2015, to determine whether the nurse engaged in professional misconduct and, if so, whether the suspension should continue or permanent disciplinary sanctions should be imposed. The emergency order was an interim measure, not a finding of misconduct.