Nursing Assistants Face Charges, Patients Meds Tampered With

Two women accused of taking medication from patients while each was employed at separate care facilities were arrested last week and now face multiple charges.

Officers working the case of one suspect learned of a second suspect who encountered police during an exchange in the parking lot of a care facility in St. George.

The incident was initially reported on Oct. 11 when officers responded to a care facility in St. George after the staff contacted police reporting suspicious activity involving prescriptions administered to patients.

Officers learned that a staff member advised management of several abnormalities found in two of the blister packs containing medications belonging to two elderly patients.

According to the report, another staff member also noticed the same suspicious activity, wherein the medication originally housed in the blister pack reportedly was switched with another similar-looking medication. This led caregivers to believe the medication, an opiate, was stolen and replaced with non-opiate medication that resembled the original.

The officer also noted that one of the medications used to replace the opiate was a blood pressure medication.

Once they discovered the medications had been switched, they noted there was “a noticeable change in both patients” who said they were in pain and feeling tired. Both appeared “lethargic,” the officer wrote.

One staff member told officers of a particular patient who did not respond well to the blood pressure medication used to replace the opiate, since the patient was not prescribed that type of medication. This “ultimately could have had a serious adverse reaction if gone unnoticed,” according to the report.

Working with the pharmacy department, investigators learned that all of the suspicious activity was confined to a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).

Video footage showed the CNA taking a blister pack, which she allegedly concealed under her shirt, and using a long book to hide the activity during one instance. She then turned her back to the camera during the second incident, police allege.

Investigators also could see the suspect making furtive movements that were purposefully out of the range of the camera. The blister packs also showed signs of being tampered with.

A tiny incision was made on the back of the blister pack and the medication was removed and then replaced with a different medication. The incision was then taped back together with a small piece of clear tape.

The footage also showed the suspect taking a clear tape dispenser from the med room area and then returning the tape a short time later.

With the help of the pharmacy, the blister packs that appeared to be tampered with were analyzed to determine how many packs were compromised, as well as which medication the pills were replaced with. Pills had been removed in random order, and some were replaced with medications that had no markings, the report said.

Officers also learned the replacement medications were for high blood pressure, a steroid and one that is used for hypotension and cardiovascular conditions – many of which can be found throughout the facility. The number of patients affected by the medication diversion crime was unknown, the report states, since it went beyond the two patients that had their pain medications taken.

The facility also replaced all medications for those patients believed to have been affected and were monitoring the blister packs to ensure the patients were receiving the prescribed medications. Officers also learned there was video capturing the alleged theft of the new prescriptions containing opiates that had been replaced.