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Denver Surgical Tech Who Facilitated Hepatitis C Infections Indicted

July 28, 2009

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The unscrupulous act of stealing pain medication then passing off used, Hepatitis C-infected syringes to unsuspecting patients has resulted in at least 19 new Hepatitis C infections and ended in a federal indictment of a Colorado medical worker.

Former Rose Medical Center tech indicted in hepatitis C case

Thursday, July 23, 2009 | Modified: Friday, July 24, 2009

Denver Business Journal

Kristen Diane Parker -- the former surgical technician at Denver's Rose Medical Center at the center of a hepatitis C scare -- was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on 42 criminal counts.

Parker was arrested June 30 and preliminary charges were filed earlier this month.

Parker, 26, of Elizabeth, was indicted on 21 counts of tampering with a consumer product and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, or attempt.

She is being held without bond.

Parker was a surgery "scrub" technician at Rose and later worked at Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs.

The indictment alleges that Parker had hepatitis C while working at both facilities.

She is accused of stealing Fentanyl, a narcotic intended as a pain medication for surgical patients, then injecting the drug with a syringe. The indictment alleges that Parker would then refill the dirty syringe with a saline solution and return it to a surgical tray.

The alleged crimes happened between Oct. 22, 2008, and April 15 of this year.

As of Thursday, 19 Rose patients have tested positive for hepatitis C in infections that can be traced to Parker, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Also, many patients that were supposed to receive the Fentanyl did not get it, authorities say.

None of the 42 charges stems from Parker's conduct at Audubon, but "additional charges via superseding indictments are possible," the U.S. Attorney's statement said.

Parker could face up to 10 years and prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each tampering count, or up to 20 years if serious bodily injury resulted.

The penalty for obtaining a controlled substance is up to four years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

"I would like to reassure the victims of Kristen Parker that prosecuting this case is a priority, and that their interests will be well represented," Acting U.S. Attorney for Colorado David Gaouette said in the statement.

The case has been investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Denver District Attorney's Office, and the Denver Police Department.

denvernews@bizjournals.com

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http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2009/07/20/daily71.html

Posted by Editors at July 28, 2009 10:15 AM

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