A former surgical technician was sentenced this week in federal court to 30 years in prison for switching drug-filled syringes with used syringes. The patients who received these dirty needles were infected with the hepatitis C virus. At least 18 patients were infected at Rose Medical Center in Denver in 2008 and 2009. The judge, Robert E. Blackburn, imposed a tougher sentence than federal prosecutors in the case expected. Blackburn called the crime of Kristen D. Parker "as incomprehensible as it is unconscionable." The hepatitis C virus affects function of the liver and has devastating consequences. One of Parker’s victims, Lauren Lollini, went into the hospital to have a kidney stone removed. She left the hospital with a strain of the hepatitis C virus almost genetically identical to the virus Parker has after years as an intravenous drug user. Parker, 27, gave a statement before the judge imposed her sentence. "I was a drug addict. I put getting my next fix above my career, my family, taking care of my son and the safety and well-being of my patients," Parker said. "I have hurt an uncountable number of people." Blackburn had made it known that he would not go easy on Parker. He rejected a plea bargain last month that would have sentenced Parker to 20 years in prison. Blackburn said that Parker was callous in her actions and did not care about the consequences of taking needed pain medication from patients. "Tragically, for so many, she just didn’t care." Rose Medical Center issued a statement after Parker’s sentencing. They made it known to Parker’s victims that they will get the necessary medical care to treat the hepatitis C virus. They also said that they have improved procedures inside their operating rooms and reassured the public that something as tragic as this would not happen again.
For most addicts, a quality opiate drug treatment program can be completed in a month. The reality is, however, that treatment can take less time or more time, depending on the individual. Most treatment centers have a comprehensive approach to t ...
Released On: 11/20/2012
Views: 5306
Every day people become ensnared in the web of prescription medication addiction, and the reality is that the addiction most often begins at home. The negative and often deadly consequences of prescription drug abuse are devastating for families ...
Released On: 11/9/2012
Views: 5057
Many drug rehab patients go through drug detox centers unaware of the damage they have done to their bodies until the drugs begin to wear off and they realize they are no longer numb. This experience can be very uncomfortable for drug rehab pati ...
Released On: 11/1/2012
Views: 4620
Drug rehabs are watching two cases that appear before the U.S. Supreme Court this week concerning drug sniffing dogs in Florida. Many substance abuse treatment centers house patients who have been sent to drug rehab as a result of being busted wi ...
Released On: 10/31/2012
Views: 4094
Drug rehabs are intrigued by a recent study conducted by a University of Michigan addiction researcher named Jennifer Cummings. According to drug treatment center experts, Cummings has stumbled upon an interesting difference between cocaine respo ...
Released On: 10/24/2012
Views: 11680
Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles into specific areas of the body along channels of bio-electromagnetic energy known as Qi. Drug rehab physicians understand how beneficial this procedure can be for their drug treatment cente ...
Released On: 10/24/2012
Views: 3993
Researchers from the University of Texas have found that cirrhosis of the liver, a common complication of alcoholism, increases brain damage. Dr. R. Dayne Mayfield was the lead researcher of the study. He and his colleagues found that cirrhotic a ...
Released On: 10/23/2012
Views: 4028
One state in particular with a large heroin problem is Massachusetts. Drug rehabs report that Massachusetts is one of the top ten states for high drug abuse rates.
Released On: 10/18/2012
Views: 3525
The most commonly used drug in New Jersey is marijuana, drug treatment centers report. However, a federally funded report shows that 5 percent of young adults have heroin habits. Nationally, heroin abuse among young adults is at an average of 2.5 ...
Released On: 10/17/2012
Views: 3896
Opioids are often legally prescribed by doctors for pain, or they are taken illegally simply to "get high." Drug detox centers also inform us that some people are so dependent on opioids they need to take them just to feel "normal."
Released On: 10/12/2012
Views: 3902
Experts from addiction treatment centers hope this type of "alcoholic mice" research can help drug rehab therapists to find therapies to help reverse this type of learned response to environments in their addiction treatment center patients.
Released On: 10/9/2012
Views: 4104
The DSM V is published by the American Psychiatric Association. Drug rehab administrators say it influences how doctors diagnose mental disorders. It also influences which conditions insurance companies will cover, including coverage for addictio ...
Released On: 10/4/2012
Views: 4067
The biggest problem with xanax is that, when abused, it has a high tendency to cause overdose deaths. These overdoses are especially prevalent for people who take large quantities of the drug and drink alcohol. Because xanax is a benzodiazapene, ...
Released On: 9/27/2012
Views: 4589
Often, therapists in drug rehabs use a variety of techniques to help addicts curb these destructive personality traits. The addictive personality is not something that can be cured overnight. However, cognitive behavior therapy over long periods ...
Released On: 9/26/2012
Views: 4772
The answer for heroin addiction is total abstinence from the drug. Patients at drug rehabs are learning how to help themselves by acquiring the tools necessary to stay off the street dope.
Released On: 9/21/2012
Views: 4292
Drug rehabs are giving their substance abuse treatment patients the straight truth about cocaine use. They say more emergency room visits occur each year from cocaine than any other drug in the United States. Substance Abuse Treatment Center pati ...
Released On: 9/19/2012
Views: 5885
Teenagers in Ohio are in the midst of a deadly drug epidemic. Many of them do not understand the ramifications of what toll the drug will take on their lives the first time they try heroin. The state health department, police, and other agencies ...
Released On: 9/17/2012
Views: 3908
Dual diagnosis treatment centers assist drug rehab patients who have addiction problems and any of these common mental illnesses: depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and personality disorders. Additionally, 29 percent ...
Released On: 9/14/2012
Views: 4235