Healthcare is a stressful job on a good day. Many healthcare professionals are faced with life or death decisions, terminal patients, and emotionally charged loved ones. It takes a special person to face up to the challenges and sometimes these individuals falter.

This month two healthcare professionals faced strict discipline charges for substance abuse. When one thinks of substance abuse in healthcare professionals it generally brings to mind prescription drugs that seem to be readily available, but these cases do not involve the obvious.

Showing that healthcare professionals are vulnerable humans just like the rest of us, the Department of Health has cracked down on these individuals for alcohol abuse. This ailment can be highly detrimental to their patients by hampering their decision making skills, affecting essential motor skills, and potential misdiagnosis.

If a doctor is diagnosing and operating, even after a drinking binge, it could lead to serious personal injury and medical malpractice lawsuits.

DUI Doctor

When a doctor gets a DUI it is an issue of bad decisions and usually affects their career and reputation, but rarely impacts their license to practice medicine. In the case of Dr. Sarah S. Reade, who is a specialist and surgeon who specializes in internal medicine, a DUI was a sign of a larger problem, a serious mental problem.

The Medical Quality Assurance Commission and Department of Health revoked Olympia physician Sarah S. Reade’s license after she was charged with driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol in December.

The suspicions began with Reade having a terrible Christmas Day in 2009. Reade was arrested for DUI and spent a solemn Xmas night in the Nisqually jail, according to Department Of Health documents.

Her father called Thurston County Sheriff’s deputies the next day and told them he was concerned about his daughter’s mental state. When deputies responded by going to her home, where they reported they found it “cluttered and strewn with clothing, disrupted furnishings, household garbage, animal feces and bottles of liquor,” the documents say.

The doctor admitted she had been drinking.

Reade’s downward trajectory continued into the weekend. Two days later, she called 911 and warned that she was going to slit her wrists with a scalpel. When the deputies showed up, she sprayed them with a garden hose and shouted profanities at them.

This is not the first disciplinary action against her. The Olympia native had her license suspended in 1998. She fought that suspension and won. Then in 2005, the commission put Reade on probation due to another DUI in which she crashed into a tree. She was required to complete an alcohol-treatment program. She was not working as a doctor at the time.

Narcotic Nurse

The state Department of Health is disciplining Karen Marie Erickson, a licensed practical nurse, whose urinalysis came back positive for traces of oxazepam, a prescription drug used to treat anxiety and acute alcohol abuse.

Though she seemed to be taking a drug to treat her alcohol abuse, her urine also register for marijuana and cocaine, the DOH statement sent March 9^th said.

A DOH investigator sent Erickson two letters in July to her last known address, asking Erickson to explain her conduct. Both letters came back with a note that she had moved and left no address.

Her license expired that same month, but the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission is still considering sanctions.

Department of Health Discipline

Upon examination of the DOH disciplinary database, the agency has been clamping down on substance abuse as of late. There was no indication of a formal announcement of these actions, but it is very good for patients.

Every month for late 2009 & 2010 there seems to be at least two or three disciplinary actions around the state regarding non-prescription substance activity. The personal problems and conduct of healthcare workers can adversely affect the health and welfare of patients. This is serious for institutions also who take the brunt of medical malpractice lawsuits associated with this conduct.

Medical Malpractice

It is important that the institutions monitor their staff also. Before the Department of Health steps in, the signs of substance abuse, inappropriate or unusual behavior, or erratic moods are clear to their managers and coworkers. Some of the signs that a coworker is abusing alcohol are:

• Excessive sick time
• Disengaged or distracted behavior
• Lateness and bad schedule maintenance
• Erratic mood swings
• Sleepiness or excessive fatigue
• Excessive drinking during work parties
• Bottles in personal storage areas
• Drinking during breaks
• Drunkenness during shift
• Smelling of alcohol during shift

If the institution does not recognize these signs and engage in some sort of discipline prior to DOH action then they could be putting patients at risk.

If you or someone you know suspect that your healthcare provider has misdiagnosed you or has inhibited care through inappropriate behavior or substance abuse it is important that you find an experienced attorney to inform you of your legal rights. Call Phillips Webster for a consultation.

Learn More About:

• Damages Covered by Medical Malpractice Awards
• Anesthesiology Mistakes
• Surgical Errors