GREENVILLE, Michigan — A Greenville woman had her nursing license suspended after an investigation revealed liquid fentanyl was missing from the facility she worked at.
The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) announced Thursday, Oct. 31 it had suspended Tamara J. Larsen's license effective immediately.
She was a registered nurse at Michigan Pain Consultants, Greenville Pain Management, in Greenville. She has since been fired.
According to an administrative complaint, Larsen allegedly stole vials of liquid fentanyl and replaced it with other similar medicine to cover her tracks.
The complaint says staff noticed documentation errors regarding the administration of fentanyl in late July. A nurse also reported several bottles had been tampered with. Approximately 70,000 micrograms of the drug were found missing during an inventory check.
The complaint says in August, Larsen admitted to diverting fentanyl from the facility starting in the winter of 2018, up until July 4, 2019. She says she took the bottles after hours and used it for herself at home. The complaint also says she filled the empty bottles with saline and put them back in stock at work.
Larsen, in the complaint, also says she altered the administration sheets, stole some of the records from the July meeting and destroyed them to cover her tracks.
An order of summary suspension is a temporary measure to protect the public and not a final determination that a licensee has violated the Public Health Code.
“Protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public is a priority for our department and in this situation it was important that we take swift action,” said Orlene Hawks, the LARA Director.
Larsen has 30 days to respond to the complaint and show her compliance with lawful requirements for retaining her license.
You can read the full complaint here.
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