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In Sunday's Tribune: How nurse-addicts avoid arrest

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By LINDSAY PETERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 30, 2010

TAMPA - At first the Jacksonville nurse denied the charges, but eventually, under police questioning, she admitted she'd stolen oxycodone from patient supplies.

She was charged with trafficking.

Less than four months later, a hospital near Panama City found sign after sign that a nurse was stealing oxycodone and other drugs meant for patients. At least one patient didn't get needed pain medication, reports show.

But no one called police, or even the Board of Nursing. Instead, the hospital referred her to a confidential drug program for nurses.

Whether a nurse who steals drugs goes to jail or stays at work remains an unsettled question in Florida.

Some in law enforcement decry the separate set of rules for medical professionals in Florida. Nurse advocates say treatment brings better results than prosecution, allowing nurses to resume work vital to their communities.

In the absence of clear laws, the choice is left to the health centers who are the victims of these crimes.

And the decision often depends on where in Florida the crime occurs.

"That's wrong," said state Sen. Mike Fasano, a New Port Richey Republican. "If you steal, especially if you are in the medical field, the state needs to know. At a minimum, there should be a report to law enforcement."

On Sunday, The Tampa Tribune explores the haphazard enforcement of drug-theft laws when the thief is a nurse. It's a followup to a special report June 27 on the state's secret, on-the-job drug treatment program for nurses.

Reporter Lindsay Peterson can be reached at 813 259-7834.

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