CHAPEL HILL -- A registered nurse was arrested Monday and accused of murdering a nursing home patient after investigators said she gave a dose of morphine that was not prescribed.
Angela Almore, 44, of 724 Berwick Valley Lane, Cary, collapsed in the Orange County Sheriff's Office as she was being processed, complaining of chest pains, and was transported to Duke Hospital.
Almore, who has been a registered nurse for four years, was charged with second-degree murder stemming from the Feb. 16 death of Rachel Holliday, an 84-year-old Alzheimer's patient under Almore's care at Britthaven of Chapel Hill.
A medical examiner reported that Holliday died of pneumonia from asphyxiation, and that the levels of morphine in her system likely contributed to her death.
Almore was also charged with six counts of felony patient abuse related to other Britthaven patients who were hospitalized after they became lethargic. Tests indicated they had been given morphine, even though none had been prescribed the powerful pain medication. All but Holliday survived.
The indictments in thecases were sealed by Judge Abe Jones in Orange County court on Monday morning.
The Medicaid Investigations Unit in the state Attorney General's Office worked with Orange County District Attorney Jim Woodall to obtain the indictments, according to Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for the state Attorney General's Office.
Almore, who is being guarded by SBI officers, will be brought before a judge in Orange County court once she is released from the hospital. Bail has been set at $500,000.
Now that the criminal case has progressed to an indictment, the nursing home also faces scrutiny. Investigators with the state Division of Health Service Regulation launched a probe soon after the drugged patients were hospitalized but suspended their work while law officers investigated.
Probe continues
Jeff Horton, director of the division, said inspectors will reopen their case in coming days.
Their mission is to determine whether the nursing home breached any rules or failed to meet standards of care that put patients at risk.
In particular, Horton said, nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding must follow specific regulations about how medications are bought, stored, ordered and distributed.
If the nursing home's oversight was lacking, it must correct the problems and could face fines. Findings from the investigation are likely to be issued this month.
Horton said the case came to the attention of his division after the Britthaven residents were hospitalized and tested positive for opiates. He said Britthaven officials reported the incident to state regulatory authorities and called police.
Horton said the nursing home took immediate action to assure patients were safe, despite not knowing where or how the patients got the drugs. Food was required to be pre-packaged and sealed; drugs were individually wrapped in bubble packages, Horton said.
Staff members in the Alzheimer's unit of the nursing home, where all the patients lived, were put on paid leave while the investigation was under way and have not yet returned to work, a spokesman said Monday.
Through spokesman Paul Mahoney, Britthaven officials declined to comment.
