A nurse at UPMC Altoona has been fired and charged over the possible diversion of controlled substances. According to the Office of the Attorney General, 42 year old Beth Eyer of Cassandra was charged for allegedly failing to document the administration of controlled substances to numerous patients. The investigation began when other employees at the hospital reported Eyer allegedly dispensed and administered Dilaudid to a patient after first dispensing and wasting Oxycontin. Eyer was not assigned to provide care to that patient and no one knew she had administered Dilaudid until the patient was offered it again two hours later. Unit Directors at the hospital were alerted last December that Eyer failed to document numerous things for 8 different patients. She also reportedly failed to document head-to-toe vascular and skin assessments. Eyer was suspended from her job in January and later terminated. Eyer has been charged with one misdemeanor count of refusal to keep records required. She is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 5th.
