This post was originally published on this site

Drug Diversion in news from Google News

FORT MYERS –

NBC2 has learned new details about the arrest of a former Lee Memorial Hospital ER nurse.

A report states that Alex Rodriguez would not only steal painkillers but morphine, too. He even had the marks on his arms to prove he was shooting it up.

Investigators said Rodriguez wouldn’t just steal bottles and pills – he replaced morphine with simple saline, a devastating difference for the patients who needed it.

Rodriguez, 28, faces more than 100 counts in all, including drug-related charges, fraud, forgery and crimes against a person.

He’s being held at the Lee County Jail on more than $655,000 bond.

Tracy Castiano has been treated at Lee Memorial Hospital before and said now she doesn’t know who to trust.

“If you’re going to go into a hospital and you can’t trust the people that are taking care of you, it’s sad.”

The investigation dates back to early August when the first report of missing hydromorphone appeared in the hospital medicine checkout system.

Since then, other items showed up missing or tampered with, including syringes and injections of oxycodone.

“How can you get away with that? I thought this stuff was tightly monitored,” said David Hammond.

The drugs are locked away in a secure refrigerator. An electronic database tracked Rodriguez’s user ID, linking him to the crime. The report states that once confronted, Rodriguez admitted to using the drugs to get high at home, even showing his left arm with multiple visible injection points.

“It’s surprising to hear it’s that high of an amount,” said Castiano. “They had to lose that much before they discovered it.”

The report said Rodriguez recklessly exposed patients with altered medications that could have been a health hazard. Deputies said he admitted to going into the hospital restroom to replace morphine with saline. Investigators said the unsanitary conditions mean the medicine wasn’t only tampered with, but possibly exposed to contaminants.

“A registered nurse they thought they could trust, you know, and here they are the ones taking all the drugs,” said Marie Szymanski.

NBC2 asked Lee Memorial if they’re stepping up drug monitoring, but all they would say is they began investigating as soon as they noticed something was off, and they fired Rodriguez.

The investigation into the case continues.

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/33032095/report-lee-memorial-er-nurse-stole-controlled-medication