Nurse sentenced for tampering with and diverting Demerol

Drea Lynne Gibson, 43, of Fall City, Washington, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Seattle to a year and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for tampering with and diverting Demerol (meperidine), a narcotic pain medication. Gibson was a nurse at the Bellevue Surgery Clinic and she was diverting Demerol and even replacing the ampules with saline. To read the full story, click here.

This really is a sad story and goes to show that even health care professionals are susceptible to drug abuse, misuse, addictions and other serious problems. I hope that she gets the help she needs so that she can recover from her drug addiction and find her place back in society. She will probably need some serious rehab and counseling. I know many health care professionals who have fallen to alcohol and drug misuse. There's hope for everyone because drug addictions can be treated and managed effectively.