Drugs stolen from Spring Hill assisted living residents
SPRING HILL – The Florida Health Care Administration imposed a $3,500 fine against a 135-bed assisted living facility in Spring Hill after an investigation found more than 300 doses of narcotics medications went missing from its residents.
Forest Oaks of Spring Hill, at 8055 Forest Oaks Blvd., admitted to the allegations in February and agreed to pay the fine, according to a copy of the investigation.
The report shows there were three thefts from the overstock narcotics supply between February and April of last year, which were all reported to law enforcement, and the locks on the nurses’ room and storage door were changed.
A resident at the facility also discovered two boxes containing 10 Fentanyl patches went missing, as well as four medication cards for 120 oxycodone pills.
One month later, a nurse noted 90 Percocet tabs had also gone missing from the same resident.
The report shows another resident, while planning to leave the facility for a week with her son, learned that three medication cards for 90 oxycodone pills had also gone missing from her.
“(Forest Oaks of Spring Hill) failed to secure and safely maintain residents’ medications before and after the facility knew, or should have known that it had a medications security risk,” the report shows.
“Especially since a resident’s medication was discovered missing after preventative measures had already been put in place the month before.”
The department also cited the facility for failing to properly document 17 oxycodone doses administered to patients on their medication observation records.
They were instead recorded on the narcotics log, according to the report.
The assisted living facility was also cited by the department for not properly informing staff of new medication policy and procedure following the narcotics thefts from the overstock supply room.
Until then, the over-stick narcotics supply had not been counted since November 2011, according to the report.
Calls made to Forest Oaks of Spring Hill were forwarded to their corporate office, which did not return voice messages left before press time.
