Washington Nurse Sentenced to Prison for Stealing Pain Medication
A nursing supervisor in Washington state admitted to stealing pain medication from her defenseless nursing home residents.
Jolene Larsen admitted to stealing morphine on multiple occasions from prescription vials and replacing the missing contents with water. The thefts occurred between November 2009 and May 2010 when she worked as a nursing supervisor at Merry Haven Care Center in Snohomish, Washington.
Larsen faces up to ten years in prison and a possible fine.
The real question here is whether the nursing home facility knew or should have known of Larsen's thefts. Did the nursing home do a background check before Ms. Larsen was hired? Did the nursing home provide adequate staffing or was Larsen alone much of her work day? Was there adequate supervision?
Families whose loved ones have been victimized by nursing home staff should ask those questions. It may be that the offending individual was simply a "bad egg" that was able to get through the system. It also may bae that the nursing home shares some of the blame.
