Three patients have filed lawsuits against a Colorado surgery center where Kristen Parker, a surgical tech who stole syringes of fentanyl and replaced them with needles she'd used to get high, once worked. While the patients say they have not been infected with hepatitis C, they report suffering "emotional distress and embarrassment" as a result of being treated by Ms. Parker.
According to a published report, the patients are accusing the Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs of negligence in hiring Ms. Parker, who was infected with hepatitis C when she worked at the center. A spokesman for the surgery center did not return a call seeking comment.
Ms. Parker admitted that she'd replaced stolen syringes with used ones while working at Rose Medical Center in Denver between October 2008 and April 2009 and at Audubon for nearly 2 months beginning in May 2009. She was sentenced earlier this year to 30 years in federal prison.
Last month, Colo. Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill of patient protection measures into law. The legislation, enacted in response to Ms. Parker's actions and the patient safety threats presented by impaired healthcare workers, require surgical techs to register with the state's departments of health and regulatory agencies. As an additional security measure, healthcare facilities need to report techs who have been fired or disciplined for irresponsible behavior to a state database and check potential hires against this list of names.
Daniel Cook
