Former VA hospice nurse from Tewksbury accused of diluting morphine meant for dying veterans, taking excess for herself
An investigation found that the dilution of the morphine led to one veteran having difficulty breathing and “increased suffering in his final days."
A hospice nurse from a Veterans Affairs medical center in Bedford was arrested Wednesday morning and charged for allegedly taking morphine meant for dying veterans for her own use.
Kathleen Noftle, 55, of Tewksbury, is accused of diluting liquid morphine intended for the veterans and ingesting the excess on at least three days in January 2017.
According to the Massachusetts U.S. attorney’s office, Noftle admitted to diluting morphine with water from a sink before administering it to her patients. She told federal agents she would then ingest the remaining amount herself.
An investigation found the dilution of the morphine led to one veteran having difficulty breathing and “increased suffering in his final days,” according to a release.
Noftle also resigned from a position at a different hospital before taking the VA job after failing “to follow appropriate procedures when wasting narcotics” on 60 occasions, the release said.
The former nurse faces federal charges of obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception, and subterfuge, and tampering with a consumer product.
She was scheduled to appear at noon Wednesday in Boston’s federal courthouse.
