A probe into the improper medication of patients at a Britthaven nursing home in Chapel Hill has been turned over to the State Bureau of Investigation, officials said Friday.
Several patients at the 133-bed nursing home, which has had quality care problems in recent years, had blood tests that came back positive for opiates, even though the drugs were not prescribed. Two patients were hospitalized.
The case came to light when a woman in the Alzheimer's unit was taken to the hospital and died of pneumonia. Her blood tests came back positive for opiates, prompting the inquiry.
It's unknown what the drugs were that caused the problems, or how they got to residents; nursing home officials said the facility's drug charts were in order.
The nursing home's director of operations, Phillip Hill, said police told him there was no evidence of criminal activity. He said Friday he did not know what prompted police to refer the case to the SBI.
"We hope their expertise can turn up something that explains what happened," Hill said.
Hill said the nursing home has suspended all staffers who work in the Alzheimer's unit, as well as workers in dietary operations. All are suspended with pay.
Britthaven has had regulatory issues in the past few years, and had been labeled a "special focus facility" for its substandard care. During inspections in 2008 and 2009, the nursing home was found to have put some residents in jeopardy by failing to protect them from abuse.
Calls to the Chapel Hill Police Department were not returned Friday.
Jennifer Canada, a spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Justice, said the SBI was involved as a result of "issues and concerns that came to light." She said the agency doesn't comment on ongoing inquiries.
A separate probe, by inspectors who certify nursing homes for the Medicare and Medicaid programs, is also under way. Surveyors combed the facility Thursday, and are now waiting for laboratory results that could pinpoint what drugs caused the unusual readings.
