Colorado Nurse Faces Imprisonment for Taking Controlled Substances from Patients
Colorado Nurse Faces Imprisonment for Taking Controlled Substances from Patients
Registered Nurse who stole hydromorphone from patient-controlled analgesia pumps and told them it was part of a study faces 4 years of imprisonment and fine.
Alicia Nicole Nickel-Tangeman, age 44, entered guilty pleas to four counts of obtaining controlled substances.
Nickel-Tangeman used her position as Registered Nurse to access the rooms of patients she was not assigned to care for in a separate unit of a Colorado hospital. She would remove hydromorphone from patient-controlled analgesia pumps. She told patients it was for a study, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado said in a news release. Nickel-Tangeman then used a key to open the machine that secured the syringe of hydromorphone that was to be dispensed to the patient and removed a portion of the drug from the syringe, which she kept, then returned the syringe to the patient’s PCA. The defendant illegally obtained controlled substances in this way from three patients on four occasions.
She faced four years imprisonment and a quarter million dollar fine for her felony offense.
The diversion of pain medications was stopped by the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, DEA and the Kansas City field office’s criminal investigation team. DEA: “We want it to be known that healthcare professionals who take advantage of patients in need by stealing their medications will be held accountable”.
Where the Diversion Occurred:
Memorial Central Hospital
1400 E Boulder St, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
Type of Healthcare Facility:
Hospital
Person Diverting:
Alicia Nicole Nickel-Tangeman
Profession of the person diverting:
Nurse
Has the incident been reported?
e.g. to local law enforcement, county board of health, state licensure board, and/or federal DEA or FDA authorities?
Yes
To whom has the incident been reported?
Local Law Enforcement
