December 2015

“Its like trying to head off a bomb before it happens” – Drug Diversion Prevention

The Massachusetts Nurses Association was quoted recently in an article about drug diversion prevention
The Massachusetts Nurses Association was quoted recently in an article about drug diversion prevention

A recent report in GoLocalworcester.com raised concern about a recent series of arrests and convictions of healthcare workers in the Worcester, MA area related to stealing drugs.

In a compelling statement, David Schildmeier of the MA Nurses Association revealed the challenge of prevention of diversion of narcotics by healthcare providers: “It’s like trying to head off a bomb before something happens. Our view is that addiction is a disease and we try to address it to the best of our ability.”

We urge you to read the article in its entirety to get an overview of recent drug diversion cases in Massachusetts and a brief summary of what one organization is doing to prevent the problem. Here is the article: Drugs and Health Professionals in Worcester: Is This a Growing Problem?

Real fear in South Korea Hepatitis C outbreak

Lauren Lollini is a patient safety advocate who has been integral in changing laws to keep patients safe as well as a member of the Drug Diversion Prevention Committee.
Lauren Lollini is a patient safety advocate who has been integral in changing laws to keep patients safe as well as a member of the Drug Diversion Prevention Committee.

Prior to my 2009 Hep C infection I paid little, if any, attention to issues of safe injection practices, drug diversion or outbreaks. In my ordinary life, I had no concern for such things. In fact, I am not even sure I could adequately define any of those terms prior to the chaos of 2009 and the outbreak in Colorado.
But since, I have kept myself in the know, paying attention to trends, outbreaks and legislation to protect patients. My email inbox and social media accounts are littered with stories, mostly bad, about errors in patient care. I truly hope that some of the initiatives I have become a part of will put a stop to most of these incidents. However, in preparing for every situation in an attempt to prevent these events you will find a tale so far fetched you want to read the facts 2 or 3 times just to insure what you initially thought you heard was correct. Read more