A former Long Beach physician assistant was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months behind bars and a year of home confinement for diverting dangerous narcotics to the black market. Gabriel Hernandez, 59, was also ordered by U.S. District Judge Christine Snyder to pay a $13,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Hernandez, who worked at [...]
A Charles City nurse anesthetist who secretly tampered with vials of fentanyl in a hospital’s surgery and birthing centers was sentenced today to nearly three years in federal prison. Christopher Scott West, age 46, from Charles City, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 1, 2019 guilty plea to one count of tampering with [...]
Despite the overwhelming focus by the government, medical professionals and the general public on the current pandemic, the opioid epidemic remains a critical issue. In fact, the shifting emphasis from opioid misuse in America to COVID-19, while necessary, could have a significant impact on the opioid crisis. When it comes to solutions, technologies such as [...]
An Alexandria woman pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to repeatedly stealing an opioid while working as a registered nurse at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Pineville. Jolie King, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of fraudulently obtaining hydromorphone, a pain reliever. King, who no longer works at the VA, admitted taking the drug [...]
A Sarasota registered nurse has been arrested for stealing oxycodone from her employer, according to a news release. M. Graham, 60, used a coworker's account to removed and allegedly distribute oxycodone three separate times, according to a news release from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. Further investigation into the misuse showed Graham as the highest [...]
PITTSBURGH — A registered nurse on the UPMC Magee Women’s Hospital has been arrested for stealing a patient’s Oxycodone prescription, in keeping with a press launch issued by the workplace of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro. T. Hafner turned herself in to Pittsburgh authorities Tuesday, Shapiro mentioned. She faces expenses of Neglect of a Care-Dependent [...]
A Portage man, who used his dental practice employees to fill oxycodone prescriptions for his own use, was placed on three years’ probation Tuesday in federal court with the first six months in home confinement. Dr. Christopher Kania, 50, has practiced in Mauston and Necedah and has had a lengthy history of substance abuse. According [...]
The S.C. Department of Corrections arrested a woman who reportedly violated state pharmacy laws by hiding several different drugs from the prison's pharmacy that was prescribed to the inmates. S. Turner, a registered nurse at Turbeville Correction Institution, is being charged with seven counts of violating state pharmacy laws. According to the arrest warrant, Turner [...]
Two nurses are accused in a months-long scheme to steal medications from their patients – including a 90-year-old – at a Walker County healthcare facility. J. Norris, 34, is charged with eight felony crimes and one misdemeanor, including elderly abuse and neglect. K. Garza, 31, is charged with three felonies and one misdemeanor. Both worked [...]
Allegations of financial exploitation by a staff member at Peaceful Lodge, a home care provider, in Oakdale were substantiated by the Minnesota Department of Health's Office of Health Facility Complaint, a public report states. According to the report, "it is more likely than not that" the staff member stole two clients' medications. This is based on [...]