UPMC Nurse Arrested For Allegedly Stealing Patient's Oxycodone, Switching It With Sedative
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A nurse at UPMC has been arrested for allegedly stealing her patient's painkiller prescription and switching it with a sedative.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro says UPMC Magee nurse Tiffany Hafner turned herself into Pittsburgh authorities Friday on multiple charges, including neglect of a care dependent person and violations of the controlled substance act.
According to the AG, in November Hafner allegedly replaced her patient's prescription Oxycodone with a sedative called Lunesta.
After the patient realized she wasn't getting any relief from pain, she kept a pill that Hafner allegedly gave her and asked hospital officials to identify it. Hospital officials said the Lunesta had been brought in from outside the facility.
"As we've seen in this crisis, we owe a debt to the thousands of medical professionals in Pennsylvania who are enduring a prolonged crisis to save lives and keep us safe, but when someone abuses that trust we will hold them accountable," said Attorney General Shapiro in a press release.
"This defendant abused her position when she stole medication from a patient and left them in pain. We will not tolerate the neglect of the vulnerable Pennsylvanians."
