In one case, a nurse, physician, and a pharmacist of a nursing home were arrested for "forcibly administering" psychotropic medications because it was convenient for the staff. The three individuals who were arrested were the director of nursing, the pharmacist and a staff physician. This medicine caused three residents of this nursing facility in Bakersfield to die. Apparently these patients were being drugged so that the nursing staff would not have trouble with the difficult patients who complained or had Alzheimer’s disease.
Once an investigation was done by the Department of Public Health, they immediately issued a Certificate of Immediate Jeopardy which resulted in the director of nursing being dismissed. After much investigation, criminal charges were filed in Kern County Superior Court and the case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General with the help of the District Attorney’s office.
(http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/print_release.php?id=1682)
What is most unbelievable about this is that one of the defendants that was charged had been fired for over-drugging a patient at another nursing home she had worked at previously in Fresno, and the nursing home did not tell the next employer because they were scared of being sued. There must be some reporting requirements which would have prevented this abuse from happening again.
The defendants return to court early this year. The defendants could face up to 11 years in prison. Each person is charged with eight counts of causing harm or death. The director of nursing was also charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
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