Med Mal News

Another Health Care Worker Indicted for Stealing Opioids at Work

Several west-coast hospitals recently had the duty to inform thousands of patients that one of their former surgical technicians might have exposed those patients to Hepatitis B or C, or even HIV. The surgical technician in question, 28-year-old Rocky Allen, was allegedly seen taking a syringe full of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic, off of an operating cart at Denver's Swedish Medical Center and replacing it with a syringe full of saline solution. Allen was indicted in February on charges of tampering with a consumer product and obtaining a controlled substance by deceit. At Swedish hospital alone, nearly 3,000 patients had to be told that Allen might have been present during their procedures and they should be tested for infection, though the likelihood of any one patient being affected is low.

In a hospital release (available at http://bit.ly/1Vr3V60), Richard A. Hammett, President and CEO of Swedish Medical Center, said, “We deeply regret that one of our former employees may have put patients at risk, and are sorry for any uncertainty or anxiety this may cause. Please know our first concern is the health, care, safety and privacy of our patients and we are working diligently to look after the wellbeing of the patients who may have been affected by the wrongful actions of this individual.” This is just the latest in a lengthening string of cases of addicted medical personnel stealing drugs ' often fentanyl ' from patients, exposing them to the possibility of disease and leaving them without the pain relief they need.

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