Hepatitis scare Arizona Prison

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Jan 29, 2014

What was she thinking! That is unbelievable!!! She went to school TWICE! She should know how to give insulin properly. I can't think of any reason why that would be ok. I've worked corrections before & had hundreds of diabetics. If they want to come to get their blood sugar checked & get insulin, they can but they know it's not a fast process. Sometimes they refuse because of it. I don't care how many diabetics she had or how low her inventory was. That is just ridiculous!

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jan 29, 2014

What was she thinking! That is unbelievable!!! She went to school TWICE! She should know how to give insulin properly. I can't think of any reason why that would be ok. I've worked corrections before & had hundreds of diabetics. If they want to come to get their blood sugar checked & get insulin, they can but they know it's not a fast process. Sometimes they refuse because of it. I don't care how many diabetics she had or how low her inventory was. That is just ridiculous!

I wasn't just the insulin she used the same needle to poke for their blood fingerstick glucose.

used one needle to stick the fingers of her inmate patients to test their blood-sugar levels, cleaned it off with alcohol and then used that same needle to draw insulin from the vials to administer the medicine.

Nurse Leigh · Jan 29, 2014

Some more in depth info from a related article. I am so used to using lancets to prick fingers that I cannot imagine how a person would stick someone with an insulin needle to obtain a blood glucose sample.

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Corizon spokeswoman Susan Morgenstern would not answer questions, but the company issued a statement with the Department of Corrections that provided more details on the incident.

The company said the nurse used a needle to stick the fingers of inmate patients and check blood-sugar levels at the Eagle Point unit, a minimum-security facility.

Corizon said that after the nurse cleaned the needle with alcohol, she used the same needle to draw insulin from the vials to administer the medicine. That potentially contaminated the remaining insulin. Each patient was treated with a new needle, which was then discarded.

The company said the nurse committed the same protocol error with five patients Sunday night at Eagle Point and then put the vials in the main medical hub. On Monday, the nursing staff used the same potentially contaminated insulin vials on inmates in the Morey and Rast units, which house close-custody, or violent, prisoners.

As a result, 24 inmates were potentially exposed to “blood borne pathogens that may include hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV,” the company said.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 29, 2014

Some more in depth info from a related article. I am so used to using lancets to prick fingers that I cannot imagine how a person would stick someone with an insulin needle to obtain a blood glucose sample. --------

Exactly. I would think I wound end up sticking myself :eek:

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Jan 29, 2014

I wasn't just the insulin she used the same needle to poke for their blood fingerstick glucose.

I meant the whole process, blood sugar check & all. I should've been more clear.

How did she get the blood for the checks using an insulin needle? I would imagine she would have to stab them pretty hard. What was going through her mind??? Gaw.

mursejohn · Jan 30, 2014

"A different nurse who was making insulin rounds learned about the error from an inmate and alerted Corizon immediately. Talboy’s license, which she received in August 2012, has been suspended due to an impending investigation."

I honestly find it hard to believe that this nurse would do something like this. How did we know if that individual (IM) was telling the truth or just fabricating? It's kind of hard to pass judgment prematurely while an investigation is being conducted. If it's true, then all I can say is...WOW!

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2014

I meant the whole process, blood sugar check & all. I should've been more clear.
How did she get the blood for the checks using an insulin needle? I would imagine she would have to stab them pretty hard. What was going through her mind??? Gaw.

Well....here is the deal....not all places will have actual insulin syringes. Some facilites...to save on cost...will use a 1cc/TB syringe (that are cheaper) that needs a separate needle....just as if you are giving a Matoux. It is very conceivable that a facility uses a needle as a lancet. That is what we used before lancets. It is very possible that they did this to save money.

Places like this exist every where.

We are so used to technology and having things at our disposal, that every time I read something like "every one has Dose mode pumps" I think well...no they don't. I can see this as a cost saving measure in a small jail that is protected by the staff because "This is how we have always done it" or simply put the warden wouldn't spend the money. It is illegal to not use a lancet when obtaining a capillary glucose.

What I can't fathom is what made her think cleaning it off with alcohol and reusing the needle was ok?

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Jan 30, 2014

"A different nurse who was making insulin rounds learned about the error from an inmate and alerted Corizon immediately. Talboy’s license, which she received in August 2012, has been suspended due to an impending investigation."
I honestly find it hard to believe that this nurse would do something like this. How did we know if that individual (IM) was telling the truth or just fabricating? It's kind of hard to pass judgment prematurely while an investigation is being conducted. If it's true, then all I can say is...WOW!

Lets say this didn't happen...the inmate got the story wrong or was stirring up trouble...the employer is still obligated to remove the nurse from the situation immediately to protect the patients while the investigation is going on.

mursejohn · Jan 30, 2014

Lets say this didn't happen...the inmate got the story wrong or was stirring up trouble...the employer is still obligated to remove the nurse from the situation immediately to protect the patients while the investigation is going on.

Hi Esme12,

Definitely. Any nurse who is a threat or even suspected/accused of committing any forms of abuse should be removed from the premises ASAP; it's for everyone's safety. I'm sure we all know that.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Jan 30, 2014

Well....here is the deal....not all places will have actual insulin syringes. Some facilites...to save on cost...will use a 1cc/TB syringe (that are cheaper) that needs a separate needle....just as if you are giving a Matoux. It is very conceivable that a facility uses a needle as a lancet. That is what we used before lancets. It is very possible that they did this to save money. Places like this exist every where. We are so used to technology and having things at our disposal that every time I read something like "every one has Dose mode pumps" I think well...no they don't. I can see this as a cost saving measure in a small jail that is protected by the staff because "This is how we have always done it" or simply put the warden wouldn't spend the money. It is illegal to not use a lancet when obtaining a capillary glucose. What I can't fathom is what made her think cleaning it off with alcohol and reusing the needle was ok?[/quote']
Wow, I didn't know about using syringes. Everywhere I've worked had lancets. But I can understand the cost saving methods in corrections. It's just crazy to think a nurse who had been through school twice would do something like that.

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Jan 31, 2014

Did all of the inmates gets their insulin from the same insulin vial?

nurseprnRN, BSN, RN · Jan 31, 2014

Did all of the inmates gets their insulin from the same insulin vial?

Apparently it was a multi-dose vial that was used for many different inmates.