A former UF Health Nurse accused of stealing hospital medication is the target of three investigations.
News4JAX has uncovered court documents that show Desiree Lato, 41, of Jacksonville also currently has a vulnerable adult protection injunction against her. The injunction was granted back in early August and extended at the beginning of September.– Allegations of stealing pain medication at two different hospitals in two different cities are not the only legal issues for a now-former nurse who was arrested on Friday.
Adult Protective Services and Jacksonville Police were notified about the allegation when the injunction was filed. JSO is currently investigating the adult exploitation allegations against Lato. A UF Health nurse, who wanted to remain anonymous, explained how prescribed medications are supposed to be removed from the machine.
“The orders get put in by the doctor. The pharmacy approves it, and it’s available for us in the Omni Cell. In the ER, because it’s a very fast-moving pace, the pharmacy cannot approve everything we need instantly. We can override and say ‘yes, I want to pull this medication.’ And that could be fentanyl. It could be dilaudid. It can be oxycodone. It can be anything,” the nurse said.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit, staff at the hospital were reviewing multiple February transactions from the machine involving Lato that raised red flags. The investigation revealed that during those multiple transactions, Lato either didn’t scan medications as being administered to a patient or she didn’t document why certain pills were removed.
On July 22, Lato was arrested and charged with two counts of obtaining prescription medication by fraud. But according to the arrest report, by then, her employer was UF Health in Jacksonville.
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