What Happened
A nurse at UW Hospital was investigated after a pharmacy technician noticed red tamper-evidence caps on drug syringes had been tampered with.
The nurse admitted to hospital staff that she diverted pain-management drugs for herself since October 2013, and police found she accessed morphine syringes from a secured machine, replaced them with water or an unknown liquid, and diverted 42 morphine and hydromorphone syringes. The nurse was arrested on June 12 and was to be charged with 42 felony counts of diversion of drugs and 42 counts of reckless injury; she was no longer employed by the hospital.
What the Record Shows
Arrested on June 12 and was to be charged with 42 felony counts of diversion of drugs and 42 counts of reckless injury; no longer employed by UW Hospital.
Why It Matters for Diversion Programs
This entry comes from a primary source rather than a federal enforcement release, and it is recorded as reported: Admitted to hospital staff that she was diverting pain-management drugs and taking them for herself since October 2013; a police investigation found she accessed morphine syringes from a secured machine, replaced them with syringes containing water or an unknown liquid, and took the morphine syringes for herself in at least 42 instances.. Board and news records are a lagging indicator - by the time a licensing authority or a reporter learns of a diversion, the diversion was normally detected internally first, which makes each entry a signal that inventory reconciliation, waste observation or dispensing oversight failed earlier.