A St. Augustine nurse is accused of taking painkillers and sedatives while on the job.
The Florida Department of Health has restricted the license for Jared Slay, who worked at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine. On at least two incidents, he was seen by others using drugs while working, according to the records I’ve obtained.
The report I’ve obtained says while working in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit in July, Slay was seen going in and out of a restroom about 15 times over just a few hours. Shortly after he left, another person checked the stall and found a large needle and several drops of blood on the floor. Slay was “sweating profusely, had difficulty finishing sentences, and exhibited a delay in speech,” according to the report.
While working in Open heart Recovery in August, Slay was seen with a syringe attached to the patient’s Fentanyl IV pump in his hand, according to the report. The DOH says Fentanyl is a pain killer that has a high potential for abuse.
Hospital staff was notified about what was seen, and Slay was asked to leave the hospital on the same day. Two days later he was terminated.
An evaluation done on Slay in November diagnosed him with opioid dependence, sedative/hypnotic abuse, narcissistic traits, and/or a history of head trauma. The records also show he tested positive for benzodiazepines (sedatives), tramadol (opioid pain killer), and hydrocodone (pain killer). Slay told investigators he has prescriptions for tramadol and diazepam (anxiety medicine) and self-administers intramuscular testosterone.
The doctor performing the evaluation has determined Slay “is not safe to practice nursing with reasonable skill and safety. He was referred to a residential treatment program as well as a long-term intervention program for nurses who have a history of impairment problems. The DOH says allowing Slay to practice without restriction “presents a risk of immediate serious danger to the health, welfare and safety of the public”.
Slay’s restriction dictates he not be able to practice nursing in a setting where he has access to certain drugs, including controlled substances.
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