EGN NEWS DESK
A registered nurse accountable for caring for critically ailing veterans stole their ache drugs and consumed the doses whereas working in an intensive care unit, in line with federal prosecutors.
Instead of giving the correct quantity of fentanyl, hydromorphone and oxycodone prescribed to her sufferers, Tara Severino would ingest some, or all, of the doses on the West Haven VA Medical Center in Connecticut, courtroom paperwork say.
At least three veterans had been dying — together with one man Severino volunteered to look after in his remaining days — and didn’t get the remedy meant to ease their ache, in line with courtroom paperwork.
Meanwhile, Severino repeatedly gave fentanyl to a 39-year-old man who felt no ache as a result of he was mind dead, prosecutors wrote in Severino’s plea settlement.
Over 9 days, Severino “launched fentanyl into (his) physique” 19 instances “in order that she might divert some for herself,” the plea settlement says.
Severino did so after saying she witnessed the person have a seizure and that she knew he was in ache, in line with prosecutors.
On June 18, Severino, 58, of West Haven pleaded responsible to acquiring managed substances by fraud or subterfuge, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut introduced in a information launch.
Her protection legal professional didn’t instantly reply to McClatchy News’ request for touch upon June 20.
Severino labored on the West Haven VA middle from Jan. 1, 2023, to July 31, 2023, in line with her plea settlement.
The U.S. Attorney’s workplace is advising:
“If you or somebody you understand could have been victimized by the actions of … Tara Severino whereas she was employed on the VA, please contact Special Agent Abraham Raymond at (202) 262-2337 or [email protected].”
Nurse tries to cover drug diversion
Severino, “to cowl up her crimes,” lied in VA medical information and monitoring techniques concerning the drugs she was supposed to provide to her sufferers, prosecutors mentioned.
On some events, she ingested the “waste” of a drugs after giving a part of the substance to a affected person, in line with prosecutors.
In these situations, she’d declare the substances had been “correctly disposed of,” prosecutors mentioned.
The remedy plans of two dying veterans, who had been “receiving end-of-life ‘consolation measures,’” had been affected when Severino ingested their ache drugs as a substitute of administering them, prosecutors wrote in Severino’s plea settlement.Since Severino claimed in medical information that they obtained their prescribed hydromorphone and fentanyl, different members of the VA workers had been underneath the impression the doses weren’t working for each sufferers, in line with the plea settlement.
A 3rd veteran, who wasn’t Severino’s affected person till she volunteered to handle him earlier than his demise, didn’t obtain ache remedy in his remaining days as a result of she equally stole it, in line with the plea settlement.
Severino is going through as much as 4 years in jail after coming into a responsible plea, prosecutors mentioned. She is about to be sentenced on Sept. 12.
©2024 The Charlotte Observer. Visit at charlotteobserver.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
